The Criminal Court 4 of the Accra High Court, has sentenced New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years in prison with hard labour after finding him guilty in the Samreboi illegal mining case.
The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay on Monday, July 20, 2026, also imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units on Chairman Wontumi. He is expected to serve an additional three-year prison term if he fails to pay the fine.
The sentences for the two counts were ordered to run concurrently.
The court had earlier convicted Chairman Wontumi on all four counts brought against him, including assigning mineral rights without the required approval, in relation to mining activities linked to Akonta Mining Company Limited’s operations at Samreboi in the Western North Region.
Akonta Mining Company Limited, which was also an accused person in the case, received a mitigated sentence and was ordered to pay the prescribed penalty units.
The case involved allegations of breaches of Ghana’s mining laws, with the prosecution arguing that the accused persons engaged in activities contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act. The defence, however, maintained that Akonta Mining did not undertake illegal mining operations on the concession in question.
The court’s decision follows the completion of the trial and the delivery of judgment after the defence’s application for a deferment of the judgment was dismissed.