The Accra High Court has sentenced the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty in the high-profile Samreboi illegal mining case involving Akonta Mining Limited. The judgment is regarded as one of the most significant court decisions in Ghana’s campaign against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, who presided over the case, convicted Wontumi on charges relating to the unauthorised assignment of mineral rights and facilitating unlicensed mining operations at a concession in Samreboi in the Western North Region. The court ordered that the two 20-year prison terms run concurrently, meaning he will serve a maximum of 20 years unless the decision is overturned on appeal. The court also imposed fines against both Wontumi and Akonta Mining Limited, which was convicted alongside him.
The ruling followed months of criminal proceedings in which state prosecutors argued that Wontumi and his company unlawfully allowed mining activities on the concession without the approval required under Ghana’s mining laws. Throughout the trial, the prosecution maintained that the actions violated the Minerals and Mining Act and contributed to illegal mining activities that have become a major environmental concern in the country.
Before the judgment was delivered, Wontumi’s new lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, sought to halt the proceedings, arguing that constitutional issues raised before the Supreme Court should first be determined. The defence also requested additional time after taking over the case. However, the High Court dismissed the applications and proceeded to deliver its judgment.
The conviction comes while Chairman Wontumi is also facing other criminal proceedings. Separate cases before the High Court involve allegations connected to financial crimes, including money laundering, causing financial loss to the state, defrauding by false pretences and the use of allegedly forged documents. Those matters are still before the courts, and Wontumi has pleaded not guilty to the charges. No conviction has been recorded in those cases, which remain pending.
The Samreboi prosecution has attracted widespread national attention because of Wontumi’s political influence and the government’s intensified crackdown on illegal mining. Successive governments have identified illegal mining as one of the biggest threats to Ghana’s forests, rivers and agricultural lands, prompting stronger enforcement actions against individuals and companies accused of violating mining regulations.
Legal analysts say the judgment could serve as a landmark precedent in future prosecutions involving illegal mining. Environmental advocates have also welcomed the ruling, arguing that it demonstrates that the country’s mining laws can be enforced irrespective of a person’s political status or public office.
Although the conviction represents a major legal setback for the NPP regional chairman, legal experts note that he retains the constitutional right to challenge both the conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal. His legal team is expected to study the judgment before deciding on the next course of action.
For now, the judgment stands as one of the strongest judicial pronouncements against illegal mining in recent years and reinforces the state’s commitment to protecting Ghana’s natural resources through the enforcement of the law.
The conviction of Chairman Wontumi marks a significant development in Ghana’s efforts to combat illegal mining and enforce accountability within the extractive sector. While he has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in the Samreboi illegal mining case, he still faces separate criminal proceedings involving alleged financial crimes, all of which remain before the courts. The ruling reinforces the judiciary’s commitment to upholding the rule of law while preserving the constitutional right of every accused person to appeal and to be presumed innocent in pending cases until proven guilty.