The Managing Director of Akonta Mining Company Limited and Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been granted bail totalling GH₵25 million in two separate illegal mining (galamsey) cases filed against him by the State.
Wontumi, who appeared before two different High Courts in Accra on Tuesday, faces multiple charges relating to unauthorised assignment of mineral rights, facilitating unlicensed mining, and operating without regulatory approval.
Due to time constraints and the heavy rains, he could not fulfill all the bail conditions and therefore spent the night in the cells of the Police Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters
First Case: GH₵15m bail
In the first case, heard before Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, Wontumi was charged alongside his company, Akonta Mining Company Limited, and a co-director, Kwame Antwi, who is currently at large.
He faces counts of assignment of minerals without approval and facilitating unlicensed mining operations at Samreboi in the Western Region.
Wontumi, 49, pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer, Mr. Andy Appiah-Kubi, urged the court to grant him bail, arguing that his client was not a flight risk and had “men and women of substance” willing to stand surety for him.
The court granted Chairman Wontumi GH₵15 million bail with three sureties, two of whom must be justified with landed property.
He was also ordered to deposit his passport, be placed on a Stop List at all exit points, and report twice monthly to the case investigator.
The Deputy Attorney General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, did not oppose the bail but urged the court to impose strict conditions given the gravity of the offences.
He pointed out that illegal mining posed one of Ghana’s most significant environmental challenges, adding that the minimum sentence for unlicensed mining is 15 years’ imprisonment.
The prosecution stated that Akonta Mining was incorporated in November 2010 with its registered office in Tarkwa, but had been operating mainly at Samreboi without authorisation. Investigations revealed that though the company has two listed directors—Boasiako and Antwi—the latter had not been seen since the company’s registration.
“Boasiako alone has since exercised absolute control over the company’s activities,” prosecutors said, adding that further investigations were ongoing to determine whether Antwi exists at all.
As part of a national crackdown on galamsey, the Ghana Police Service launched a special operation in Samreboi between April 16 and 17, 2025, leading to the arrest of 29 individuals on Akonta’s concession.
Police seized a cache of equipment and materials, including eight pump-action guns, one single-barrel gun, 310 AAA/BB cartridges, five suspected gold pieces, GH₵157,000 in cash, 25 serviceable excavators, four non-serviceable excavators, water pumping machines, and vehicles.
During interrogation, one of the suspects, Michael Ayisi Gyedu, claimed to be working for Henry Okum, who in turn told police that he had sought and received permission from Wontumi in September 2024 to conduct mining operations on the concession.
Prosecutors allege that Wontumi permitted Okum to mine on Akonta’s concession without obtaining the required legal approvals, thereby violating Ghana’s mining regulations.
The case has been adjourned to October 28, 2025, with the prosecution directed to file its disclosures within three weeks.
Second Case: GH₵10m
Even as his legal team worked to satisfy the bail conditions in the first case, Wontumi was rearrested and arraigned again on fresh illegal mining charges filed by Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, at the High Court in Accra.
The new charges, filed on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, relate to additional unlicensed mining activities allegedly involving Akonta Mining Limited in a different jurisdiction.
The court granted Chairman Wontumi GH₵10 million bail with two sureties, one of which must be justified.
He has been ordered to deposit all travel documents, report to the police once a week, and refrain from travelling outside the country pending trial.
The case has been adjourned to November 4, 2025.
Sources familiar with the second case indicated that the fresh charges may be linked to another ongoing state investigation into his company’s activities, suggesting the likelihood of a broader prosecution strategy by the Attorney General’s Department.
Dual legal troubles for NPP’s Ashanti Chairman
The back-to-back arraignments mark a dramatic turn for one of Ghana’s most politically influential regional leaders.
As Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Wontumi’s cases have drawn national attention, reigniting public debate about the intersection of political power, environmental regulation, and illegal mining.
If convicted, the businessman-politician could face a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment under Ghana’s Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).
For now, his legal team is racing against time to meet the combined GH₵25 million bail requirements while the public—and political establishment—watch closely how the country’s judiciary navigates one of the most high-profile galamsey prosecutions in recent years.
