Court decides Wontumi’s case on March 16

The High Court in Accra has set March 16, 2026, to determine whether the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, should be called upon to open his defence in an ongoing criminal trial over alleged illegal mining activities linked to his company, Akonta Mining Company Limited.

The decision follows legal arguments presented by lawyers for the accused, who have asked the court to dismiss the charges because the prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case against their clients. If the court agrees with the defence submission, Chairman Wontumi and his company could be acquitted without being required to present their defence.

Background

Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining Company Limited are standing trial over allegations that they permitted two individuals—Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi—to conduct mining operations on the company’s concession without the required approval from the sector minister, contrary to the mining regulations.

According to the Attorney-General’s case, the accused persons allegedly facilitated unlicensed mining activities on the concession, an offence under the Minerals and Mining laws. The prosecution has brought six criminal counts against Chairman Wontumi and the company, including permitting unauthorised mining and enabling illegal mining operations.

Prosecution’s Evidence

During the trial proceedings, the Attorney-General’s Department presented four witnesses to establish that the accused knowingly allowed illegal mining activities on the concession.

One of the witnesses, Michael Gyedu Ayisi, earlier told the court that he worked as an artisanal miner at the Samreboi site in the Western Region under Henry Okum, supervising mining activities and land reclamation at the concession.

However, during cross-examination, Ayisi admitted that he had no documentary evidence proving that Chairman Wontumi had formally assigned the concession to Okum.

Ayisi also acknowledged that he had never met Chairman Wontumi personally and had only seen him on television.
He further conceded that his belief that the concession belonged to Wontumi was based largely on what he had been told by others, including hearsay from various sources in the mining community.

Defence Submits “No Case To Answer”

At the close of the prosecution’s case, lawyers representing Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining filed a submission of no case to answer, arguing that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient to justify calling the accused persons to mount a defence.

According to counsel, the prosecution failed to establish the essential elements of the offences charged and relied on evidence that was weak and unreliable.

“Having regard to the evidence adduced by the prosecution and the essential elements of the offences charged, it is respectfully submitted that the prosecution has woefully failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused persons on all six counts,” the defence argued before the court.

Counsel further maintained that the prosecution’s case contained “fundamental and fatal deficiencies”, including the absence of credible evidence directly linking Chairman Wontumi to the alleged unauthorised mining operations.

Awaiting The Court’s Decision

The presiding judge will now determine whether the prosecution has presented sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case against the accused persons. If the court rules in favour of the prosecution, Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining will be required to open their defence and respond to the charges.

However, if the court upholds the defence’s submission, the accused persons could be acquitted and discharged without further proceedings.

The ruling scheduled for March 16, 2026, is expected to be a critical turning point in the politically sensitive case involving one of the opposition party’s most influential regional figures and allegations tied to the long-running fight against illegal mining.