State to call four witnesses in Chairman Wontumi’s illegal mining case
By DL News
Published
2 min read
Wontumi is standing trial alongside Akonta Mining Company Limited and one of its directors, Kwame Antwi, who is currently on the run.
The State has announced that it will present four witnesses in the ongoing trial of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, who faces multiple charges linked to unauthorized mining operations.
At a Case Management Conference (CMC) held on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, prosecutors informed the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocivie-Tay, that they had filed additional disclosures to support their case. They also revealed their intention to call four key witnesses during the trial.
Wontumi is standing trial alongside Akonta Mining Company Limited and one of its directors, Kwame Antwi, who is currently on the run.
The matter has been postponed to November 27, 2025, to allow the court to review the newly submitted documents.
According to the charge sheet, filed on October 6, 2025, the accused persons face a total of six charges—three counts of assigning mineral rights without authorization and three counts of facilitating illegal mining activities. The charges fall under Sections 14(1) and 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995 of 2019.
Court documents describe Wontumi, aged 49, as a co-director and shareholder of Akonta Mining Company Limited, which was incorporated in November 2010 and primarily operates in Samreboi, in the Western North Region.
Investigators claim that despite having another registered director, Kwame Antwi, Wontumi has maintained sole control of the company since its establishment, asserting that he has not had contact with Antwi since the company’s registration.
The Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, who signed the charge sheet, stated that Wontumi unlawfully authorized individuals to mine on Akonta’s concession without securing approval from the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, as required by law.
The case stems from a special anti-illegal mining operation conducted by the Ghana Police Service on April 16–17, 2025, in Samreboi.
During the operation, Michael Ayisi Gyedu, aged 50, and 28 others were apprehended within Akonta Mining’s concession area.
The police retrieved several items, including:
Eight pump-action shotguns and one single-barrel gun
Five pieces of gold concealed in a sachet
Four machetes, 310 cartridges, 25 excavators (21 functional, 4 non-functional)
Two vehicles, four motorbikes, and GH₵157,000 in cash
Investigations later led to the arrest of Henry Okum, who allegedly admitted that he obtained permission directly from Wontumi to conduct mining activities on the concession. Prosecutors say this authorization was granted without ministerial consent, making it unlawful under Ghana’s mining regulations.
The State intends to seek a court order to confiscate all seized assets upon conviction.
The case, which has attracted significant public interest due to Wontumi’s political profile, forms part of the government’s renewed efforts to combat illegal mining (galamsey) and enforce compliance within the mining industry.
Prosecutors are expected to call investigators, Minerals Commission officials, and security officers as witnesses when the trial resumes on November 27, 2025.
