The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been found guilty in the case involving alleged illegal mining activities on the concession of Akonta Mining Company Limited at Samreboi in the Western Region.

The judgment was delivered by the Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court in Accra, which is hearing the case involving Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Company Limited and another accused person, Kwame Antwi.

Before delivering the verdict, the court dismissed an application by the defence seeking to delay the judgment and refer some issues in the case to the Supreme Court for constitutional interpretation.

Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ruled that the application did not have sufficient grounds to warrant a postponement of the judgment.

The defence had informed the court that lead counsel for Chairman Wontumi, Samuel Atta Akyea, was outside the country and was expected to return on July 22.

Lawyer Charles Boakye, who held brief for Mr Atta Akyea, told the court that the defence team had filed an application on July 16 requesting an adjournment of the judgment and a referral of certain constitutional matters to the Supreme Court.

He explained that the application had been scheduled for hearing on Monday, but the court proceeded with the judgment after rejecting the request.

The case relates to allegations that Akonta Mining Company Limited engaged in illegal mining activities on its concession at Samreboi, with prosecutors accusing the company and its representatives of facilitating unlawful mining operations.

During the trial on May 21, 2026, Chairman Wontumi denied giving permission to prosecution witness Henry Okum, also known as PW2, to conduct mining activities on the company’s concession.

He told the court that his agreement with Mr Okum was limited to land reclamation and coconut plantation projects and did not involve mining.

The case commenced after Chairman Wontumi reported to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service on October 6, 2025, following a directive from the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine.