The High Court in Accra has sentenced Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after finding him guilty of offences relating to illegal mining operations.
The judgment was delivered on Monday by Justice Audrey Kocuvie Tay, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge.
The court convicted Chairman Wontumi on all six charges brought against him by the Attorney-General.
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Chairman Wontumi was convicted for offences including assignment of mineral rights without prior written authorisation and facilitating unlawful mining operations.
The charges stemmed from activities linked to Akonta Mining Limited, a company in which he is a shareholder.
The court held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to convictions on all six counts.
Prison sentence and fine
In addition to the 20-year prison sentence with hard labour, the court imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units on Chairman Wontumi.
The court further ordered that if he fails to pay the fine, he will serve an additional three-year prison term.
Justice Tay directed that the custodial sentence and any default sentence would run concurrently.
The offences carry a statutory punishment ranging from 15 to 25 years’ imprisonment, with the court opting for what it described as a sentence within the middle range.
Delay judgment
Before the judgment was delivered, defence counsel Samuel Atta Akyea unsuccessfully applied for the ruling to be postponed.
The lawyer had asked the High Court to defer judgment pending the determination of a constitutional application before the Supreme Court challenging provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
Mr Atta Akyea argued that Section 14(1) of the Act was unconstitutional and sought a referral of the issue to the apex court.
However, the trial judge dismissed the application and proceeded to deliver judgment.
The High Court also imposed sanctions on Akonta Mining Limited.
The company was ordered to pay penalty units after the court considered mitigation in sentencing.
The prosecution had argued that the company unlawfully assigned mining rights and facilitated illegal mining activities in breach of Ghana’s mining laws.
Lawyers representing Chairman Wontumi are expected to challenge both the conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal.
The appeal is likely to focus on the interpretation of provisions under the Minerals and Mining Act and constitutional issues raised during the trial.
The conviction marks one of the most significant criminal judgments involving a high-profile political figure in Ghana’s mining sector in recent years.