The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has apologised to President John Dramani Mahama and First Lady Lordina Mahama for any remarks he made about them during the 2024 general election campaign.
The apology comes as Wontumi serves a 20-year prison sentence following his conviction for illegal mining activities at the Samreboi Forest in the Western Region.
According to his spokesperson, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, the former NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman made the apology as a gesture of goodwill and is appealing to President Mahama to consider granting him clemency.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News, Boakye-Danquah said Wontumi’s apology was aimed at mending relationships and promoting reconciliation.
“The first call is to render an apology, and I think that is important. Former Chairman renders an apology to him if, at some stage, the conversations went overboard, which was never intended,” he said.
He, however, clarified that the apology should not be interpreted as an admission that political disagreements between Wontumi and President Mahama had any influence on the legal case that led to his conviction.
“Not at all. We are aware that in this country there are influences. If you are able to identify those influences and begin making amends, I think we build a better society for all of us to live in,” he added.
Boakye-Danquah maintained that Wontumi’s appeal for forgiveness was about reconciliation and not an attempt to suggest that political factors played a role in his prosecution or sentencing.
Chairman Wontumi was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment after the Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court found him guilty on all six charges brought against him.
The case involved Wontumi, his company Akonta Mining Limited, and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, who were prosecuted over alleged illegal mining activities on the company’s concession at Samreboi.
The prosecution argued that the accused unlawfully assigned mineral rights on the concession without the approval of the sector minister and facilitated mining operations without the required authorisation, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act.
Wontumi has since filed an appeal against his conviction, while his latest apology and plea for clemency mark a new effort to seek relief following his imprisonment.
