By Benjamin Adamafio Commey, GNA
Accra, July 20, GNA – The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced its decision to appeal the conviction and 20-year prison sentence imposed on its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
An Accra High Court Monday sentenced Chairman Wuntumi to 20 years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of illegal mining-related offences under the Minerals and Mining Act.
The court imposed two 20-year custodial sentences on separate counts, to run concurrently, effectively resulting in a 20-year prison term.
It also fined him 10,000 penalty units on each of the two counts, while Akonta Mining Limited, linked to the case, was fined 15,000 penalty units on each of two counts.
Addressing a news conference in Accra, Mr Justice Frimpong Koduah, General Secretary of the NPP, described the judgement as “fundamentally flawed” and unsupported by the evidence presented before the court.
He said while the party respected the authority of the judiciary, respect for the courts did not prevent citizens from disagreeing with judicial decisions and pursuing redress through the appellate process.
“Our Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to disagree with judicial decisions and to seek redress through the appellate process. That is precisely what we intend to do as a political party,” Mr Koduah said.
He argued that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that Chairman Wontumi had unlawfully assigned or transferred his mineral rights, insisting that the acquisition of the mining concession had never been in dispute.
According to him, the conviction was based on assumptions and inferences rather than direct evidence proving any unlawful transfer or assignment of mineral rights.
“Chairman Wontumi is a political prisoner,” Mr Koduah said.
“It is our considered view that Chairman Wontumi has been convicted in circumstances where there was no evidence at all to support a conviction irrespective of the offence for which he has been convicted.”
He referred to the judgement as “a travesty of justice” and expressed confidence that it would be overturned on appeal.
Mr Koduah alleged that the prosecution formed part of a pattern of selective justice in which political opponents were being aggressively pursued while allegations involving persons associated with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) had not received similar attention.
He questioned the status of investigations into petitions and allegations involving some NDC officials and called on the Government to ensure that the fight against illegal mining was applied fairly and without political considerations.
He also accused the Government of attempting to divert public attention from other national challenges, including security concerns, flooding and the impact of illegal mining on farming communities.
Mr Koduah said the NPP would stand firmly behind Chairman Wontumi throughout the appeal process.
“Our legal team has already commenced the necessary steps to challenge the judgement through the appellate process,” he added.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
20 July 2026
Reporter: Benjamin Adamafio Commey