The Accra High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), popularly known as Wontumi.
The order, issued on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, followed his failure to appear before the court in connection with an ongoing criminal case.
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Presiding Judge described Wontumi’s absence as “unacceptable,” noting that he neither sought permission nor provided any legitimate reason for missing the proceedings.
Wontumi is currently facing trial over allegations of involvement in illegal mining—commonly referred to as galamsey—in the Ashanti Region.
Prosecutors contend that his actions breached mining and environmental protection laws, leading to the degradation of forest reserves in parts of the region.
This is not the first time the influential regional chairman has been entangled in legal controversies.
He has been arrested on at least two previous occasions over similar offences, with the most recent case drawing widespread public attention due to his political prominence.
The bench warrant instructs law enforcement agencies to locate and present Wontumi before the court to respond to the charges against him.
On October 7, 2025, Chairman Wontumi was 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, faces multiple charges relating to unauthorised assignment of mineral rights, facilitating unlicensed mining, and operating without regulatory approval.
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.
