Leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have criticised the conviction and 20-year prison sentence handed to the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, describing the decision as a miscarriage of justice and politically motivated.
Ofoase Ayirebi Member of Parliament, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, accused the justice system of being weaponised against political opponents, insisting that the NPP considers Chairman Wontumi a political prisoner.
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Reacting to the judgment in a post on X, Oppong Nkrumah argued that while other accused persons had not been prosecuted to conclusion, Wontumi had been imprisoned over allegations relating to mining activities carried out by another individual on a concession he said had been handed over for reclamation.
He further questioned why the individual who allegedly carried out the mining operations had not received the same punishment.
“This is not law or justice. It is a weaponising of the justice delivery system. This is why the NPP considers Wontumi a political prisoner. The justice system has been turned upside down,” he wrote.
Akuapem North MP, Sammi Awuku, also criticised the judgment, describing it as “a travesty of justice” and a dark moment for Ghana’s criminal justice system.
According to him, the High Court did not convict Wontumi for engaging in illegal mining but for allegedly assigning his mineral rights to a third party without approval, despite what he described as the State’s failure to produce evidence of such an assignment.
“The Judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison for this. This is simply a travesty of justice and a dark spot in our criminal justice system,” Awuku wrote on Facebook.
He added that the NPP remained resilient despite the setback, expressing confidence that the party would emerge stronger.
Chairman Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining, were convicted by the Accra High Court on July 20 after being found guilty of offences under the Minerals and Mining Act relating to mining activities at the company’s concession in Samreboi in the Western Region.
Before the judgment was delivered, Wontumi’s lead counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, applied for an adjournment, explaining that he was out of the jurisdiction and would return on July 22.
However, the presiding judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, dismissed the request, stating that the judgment date had been fixed in consultation with both parties and that counsel should have raised any scheduling concerns earlier.
The court also rejected an application by the defence seeking to defer the judgment and refer constitutional questions arising from the case to the Supreme Court.
Chairman Wontumi was convicted on charges including assigning mineral rights without the approval of the Minister responsible for mining and facilitating unlicensed mining operations.
