Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has said the conviction of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, was inevitable based on the evidence presented by the prosecution during the trial.
According to Mr Kpebu, the testimony of the second prosecution witness proved decisive because the witness admitted carrying out the mining activities and told the court that Chairman Wontumi had granted him access to the concession where the illegal operations took place.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, July 20, 2026, Mr Kpebu said the witness’ account established a direct link between Chairman Wontumi and the unlawful mining activities.
“The person who was given the opportunity to do the galamsey came to testify as the second prosecution witness. He did the galamsey and testified that Chairman Wontumi gave him the land to mine,” he said.
He explained that because the mining activities were not authorised, they constituted illegal mining, making the witness’ testimony particularly damaging to the defence’s case.
“Once the gentleman who did the actual mining operations is testifying against Wontumi, and there is no evidence to discredit him or suggest he was lying or acting out of ulterior motives, Wontumi was bound to be convicted,” Mr Kpebu stated.
He further argued that the outcome of the trial should not have come as a surprise, describing it as “an open and shut case” based on the evidence before the court.
“This day was always coming. Wontumi himself would have known that conviction was a possibility because of the evidence that had been laid,” he added.
Mr Kpebu’s comments follow the conviction of Chairman Wontumi by the Accra High Court over illegal mining-related offences involving Akonta Mining Limited’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The court sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment on two counts, with the sentences to run concurrently, after finding him guilty of unlawfully assigning mineral rights without ministerial approval and facilitating illegal mining activities. Akonta Mining Limited was also fined 15,000 penalty units on each count.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party has rejected the verdict, describing it as politically motivated, and has indicated that it will appeal the conviction.