Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour by the Accra High Court for his role in illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.
The sentence was handed down on Monday, July 20, 2026, by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay of the Criminal Division of the High Court, bringing to a close one of Ghana’s most high-profile illegal mining prosecutions.
The court also fined Wontumi 10,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢120,000. Should he fail to pay the fine, he will serve an additional three-year prison term. However, the court ruled that the custodial sentence and the default prison term attached to the fine would run concurrently.
Earlier in the proceedings, Justice Kocuvie-Tay found Wontumi guilty on all six charges brought against him, including assigning mineral rights without the required approval and deliberately facilitating an unlicensed mining operation, offences under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
The 20-year prison sentence falls within the statutory punishment of 15 to 25 years prescribed by law for the offences.
The court also delivered its verdict on Akonta Mining Company Limited, the firm linked to Wontumi. Rather than imposing a custodial sentence, the court ordered the company to pay a financial penalty after considering mitigating factors. The ruling means the company will avoid imprisonment while its controlling director serves his jail term.
Before sentencing, Wontumi’s legal team, led by Samuel Atta Akyea, appealed to the court for leniency. The defence asked Justice Kocuvie-Tay to impose the minimum 15-year sentence, arguing that their client had shown remorse, cooperated with investigators and faithfully attended court throughout the trial.
They further described him as a first-time offender, a devoted family man and someone who had made meaningful contributions to his community and the nation.
Despite the plea, the court ruled that a 20-year custodial sentence with hard labour was appropriate after weighing the submissions of both the prosecution and the defence.
Source: Joynews
