Chairman Wontumi and Edward Akuoko exiting court yesterday
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi was dragged to court yesterday for two separate trials over allegations of undertaking mining without permission from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
The first trial borders on allegations the NPP official permitted other individuals to undertake mining on his Akonta Mining concession at Samreboi in the Western Region without a written approval from the Minister.
The second case involves allegations Wontumi, his company and others unlawfully entered and undertook mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve without legal authority.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was granted a total of GH¢25 million bail by both courts with three sureties.
Wontumi was rearrested after the first proceeding had ended and hauled before another court, where he had to wait for about two hours before the case was called.
He is facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 25 years if found guilty of the charges levelled against him.
Facilitating Mining Offence
In the first trial, Wontumi has been charged with one count of assignment of mineral rights without approval, and another count of purposely facilitating an unlicensed mining operation, contrary to Section 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended by Section 3 of the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).
His company, Akonta Mining and another person identified as Kwame Antwi, who is on the run, have been charged with the same offences.
His lawyer, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi pleaded with the court to grant him bail pending trial, telling the court that his client is not a flight risk.
He said the accused has cooperated with the police and has promised to submit himself at all material times for the trial.
Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai did not oppose the grant of bail but told the court to take into consideration the fact that gold business is capital-intensive and it is common knowledge that persons of substance are more flight risk than persons without substance.
He told the court that mining without licence is the biggest challenge of the country at the moment, and given the severity of the sentence, “if the bail conditions are not properly determined, an accused person who has the means, and in this case, the owner of almighty Akonta Mining, will be motivated to flee rather than face the law.”
In respect of the sureties and the amount of money for bail, Dr. Srem-Sai prayed that “the amount be such that should the accused not be found again, it would be enough to at least reclaim the damages that have been caused to the land.”
The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, granted Wontumi bail of GH¢15 million with three sureties, two of whom must be justified with landed property within the jurisdiction.
He is to deposit his passport(s) with the registrar of the court. The court has also placed him on the Stop List at all entry points of the country.
The prosecution’s brief fact indicates that the police had arrested Michael Ayisi Gyasi, a 50-year-old and 28 others within Akonta Mining’s concession in Samreboi on April 17, 2025, following an operation.
During the arrest, the police retrieved several items, including eight (8) pump action guns, one (1) single-barreled gun, five (5) pieces of metal suspected to be gold concealed in a sachet, four (4) machetes, several water pumping machines, 310 AAA/BB cartridges, and one (1) grease gun.
Others include four (4) motorcycles, two (2) vehicles, 25 serviceable excavators, four (4) non-serviceable excavators and GH¢157,000 cash.
The prosecution says it will pray the court at the end of the trial, for a forfeiture order in respect of all items of value retrieved from the concession.
Forest Reserve ‘Encroachment’
Wontumi, his company and three others have been accused of causing “extreme environmental destruction, including the devastation of approximately 13 hectares of land,” in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve with illegal mining activities.
The facts state that despite his company having licence to mine, its application to mine in the forest reserve was refused in August 2022. That notwithstanding, the company allegedly undertook the mining activities.
“To provide housing for the teeming number of persons working for it, A1 (Akonta Mining) put up several makeshift structures across the Forest Reserve,” the facts allege.
The court, presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, granted Wontumi and Edward Akuoko a bail of GH¢10 million each with three sureties each, one of whom must be justified with landed property.
They were ordered to deposit their travel documents with registrar of the court and report to the investigator once every other week.
The case was adjourned to November 4, 2025, while the prosecution was ordered to file and serve disclosures before then.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak