Chairman Wontumi jailed for 20 years over illegal mining offences
The Accra High Court has sentenced Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years in prison after convicting him on multiple charges related to illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession in Ghana's Western Region.
The ruling, delivered on Monday, July 20, by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay at the Criminal Division of the High Court, concludes one of the country's most closely watched prosecutions involving illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Court imposes prison sentence and hefty fine
In addition to the 20-year custodial sentence, the court fined the Ashanti regional chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) 10,000 penalty units.
The court ruled that if the fine is not paid, Chairman Wontumi will serve an additional three-year prison term. However, the default sentence will run concurrently with the 20-year jail term.
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Convicted on six illegal mining charges
The High Court found Mr Antwi-Boasiako guilty on all six charges brought against him, including unlawfully assigning mineral rights without the required ministerial approval and facilitating illegal mining operations in breach of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
Under Ghanaian law, the offences carry prison terms ranging from 15 to 25 years.
Akonta Mining fined by the court
The court also sanctioned Akonta Mining Company Limited, a company linked to Chairman Wontumi.
Rather than imposing a custodial sentence, the court fined the company after considering mitigating circumstances, allowing it to avoid the prison penalty imposed on its controlling director.
Court rejects defence plea for lighter sentence
During sentencing, defence lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea appealed to the court to impose the minimum 15-year sentence permitted by law.
He argued that his client had cooperated fully with investigators, honoured all court appearances, showed remorse, had no previous criminal record, and had made significant contributions to his community while supporting his family.
Despite these submissions, Justice Kocuvie-Tay ruled that a 20-year prison sentence was appropriate after weighing the arguments presented by both the prosecution and the defence.
High-profile galamsey case
The prosecution alleged that Chairman Wontumi, together with Akonta Mining Company Limited and an associate, authorised mining activities on the Samreboi concession without obtaining the approvals required under Ghana's mining laws.
Throughout the trial, the NPP regional chairman maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty. He also pursued several legal applications, including attempts to halt the proceedings and a request for constitutional interpretation of provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act. However, those efforts did not prevent the High Court from delivering its final judgement.
The case attracted nationwide attention because of Chairman Wontumi's political standing and became a focal point in Ghana's ongoing fight against illegal mining and efforts to enforce the law without regard to political affiliation.
Edem Kwame
Chief Editor
Edem Kwame is a staff journalist at GH News Media, where he covers sports, politics, news and current affairs with a sharp focus on Ghanaian and African football.
