Illegal Mining: Chairman Wontumi jailed for 20 years with hard labour

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been jailed for 20 years with hard labour.

The sentence was handed down by an Accra High Court after Mr. Boasiako was found guilty of multiple offences linked to illegal mining activities carried out by his company, Akonta Mining Limited, at its concession in Samreboi in the Western Region.

The court convicted him of unlawfully assigning mining licences without the approval of the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources and deliberately facilitating unlicensed mining operations.

The court ordered that the 20-year custodial sentences on the various counts run concurrently.

It also imposed a fine of GH¢120,000. Should he fail to pay, he will serve an additional three years in prison. Akonta Mining Limited was separately handed substantial financial penalties over its role in the offences.

Lawyers for Mr. Boasiako expressed disappointment with the ruling and announced plans to challenge both the conviction and sentence at the appellate courts.

The judgment comes just a week after Chairman Wontumi insisted that his legal challenges would not derail his campaign to become the NPP’s next National Chairman.

Speaking during a campaign media engagement on Asaase Radio, he maintained that politics required resilience and sacrifice.

“Politics is not for the comfortable. It’s for people who can endure pains and take advantage of the pains,” he said.

He also argued that his court appearances had not weakened his campaign, noting that he had toured all 16 regions to engage party members.

“As of now, I’m the only contender who has toured all 16 regions. Upon all the difficulties I’m going through, I’m not disconnected from the grassroots. I’m still communicating,” he stated.

Earlier this year, Mr. Boasiako officially declared his intention to contest the NPP National Chairmanship, saying he wanted to unite, rebuild and empower the party’s grassroots ahead of the 2028 general election.

In May, he intensified his campaign by forming a national campaign team and consulting key party figures, including former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Meanwhile, the NPP’s national leadership has convened an emergency meeting to assess the political implications of the verdict and discuss the party’s next course of action following the conviction of one of its most influential regional leaders.