The Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra has sentenced the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years in prison after convicting him in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay imposed the sentence after earlier finding Mr Antwi-Boasiako guilty on all six charges, including unlawfully assigning mineral rights and purposely facilitating unlicensed mining operations on the Akonta Mining Company Limited concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The court held that Mr Antwi-Boasiako, as owner and controlling director of Akonta Mining Company Limited, allowed mining activities to be carried out on the concession without obtaining the prior written approval of the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
The prosecution argued that he permitted individuals, including Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi, to undertake mining on the concession without the required legal authorisation. Evidence from the Minerals Commission indicated there was no ministerial approval for the assignment or transfer of the mining rights.
Mr Antwi-Boasiako had consistently denied the allegations throughout the trial, maintaining that Henry Okum had only been engaged to undertake land reclamation and establish a coconut plantation rather than carry out mining activities.
The case originated from a special anti-illegal mining operation conducted by the Ghana Police Service in Samreboi in April 2025, during which authorities arrested 29 suspects and seized excavators, firearms, suspected gold materials and GH¢157,000 in cash.
