Wontumi Sentencing: Claims of political persecution shocking – Dr. Srem-Sai

Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai says claims that Chairman Wontumi’s conviction was politically motivated are shocking because the court relied largely on the defence’s own evidence.

Speaking on TV3 in an interview aired on Wednesday morning, Dr. Srem-Sai dismissed allegations by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the prosecution of Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, was driven by politics.

According to him, the High Court’s judgment was based substantially on evidence presented by the defence itself, including witness statements and testimony from the accused, making accusations of political persecution difficult to justify.

“Most of the pieces of evidence that we have came from their defence. Defence witnesses, the accused person’s own comments, his own witness statements, those were the materials that form the basis for the conclusion of the judgement. So it is shocking to me that they will say it is political persecution,” he stated.

Dr. Srem-Sai, however, said he understood why the NPP had maintained that position, arguing that the party’s response was influenced by political considerations.

“I mean what they are doing is politics. And they issued that statement when they had not seen the judgement. So do you expect that now that they have seen the judgement they will come back and say, ‘What we said was wrong?’ They will never do that. They will rather double down and say things,” he added.

He further challenged critics of the ruling to identify specific legal flaws in the court’s decision.

“But so far I don’t think anyone has pointed to any part of the judgement that they believe is so erroneous,” he said.

The Deputy Attorney General’s remarks come after the NPP accused the Mahama administration of selective justice following Chairman Wontumi’s conviction.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, NPP General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua alleged that the government was targeting political opponents while shielding its own supporters, describing the conviction as part of a pattern of politically motivated prosecutions.

Chairman Wontumi was on Monday, sentenced by an Accra High Court to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after being found guilty of offences related to illegal mining activities undertaken by Akonta Mining Limited at Samreboi in the Western Region.

The court also imposed a GH¢120,000 fine and ordered custodial sentences to run concurrently.

His lawyers have since announced plans to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.