Akonta Mining Case: Wontumi Denies Authorising Illegal Mining, Insists Deal Was For Reclamation
- Chairman Wontumi has told the High Court that he never authorised mining on Akonta Mining’s concession
- He maintained under cross-examination that he did not give the second prosecution witness permission to mine
- However, the prosecution and earlier testimony from it witness presented a conflicting account for the court to grapple with
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has denied authorising mining on Akonta Mining’s concession, insisting the arrangement with the second prosecution witness (PW2), Henry Okum, was strictly for land reclamation.
Testifying at the High Court in Accra on Thursday, May 21, 2026, Wontumi said Henry Okum was granted access to restore degraded land through coconut planting.
Source: Facebook
Under cross-examination, he admitted allowing PW2 onto the site but rejected claims of permitting mining.
“I didn’t give him permission to mine. He came to reclaim the land and plant coconut trees so that when the coconuts mature, we would share," Wontumi told the court.
In a report sighted on Citinewsroom, Chairman Wontumi also denied assisting PW2 in acquiring excavators or other equipment.
Prosecution Disputes Wontumi's claims
The prosecution argued Wontumi knowingly allowed illegal mining and distanced himself from operations.
It suggested Henry Okum, a small-scale miner, was granted access for mining, but Wontumi insisted he was a “service support miner”.
Wontumi admitted before the High Court that there was no written agreement and said he never visited the site, relying on videos of reclamation works.
However, the second prosecution witness previously testified he was allowed to mine to fund reclamation, a claim the court is now considering alongside Wontumi’s defence.
Abronye DC granted GH¢100K bail
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that the High Court in Accra had granted NPP Bono Regional Chairman Abronye DC GH¢100,000 bail with two sureties.
The prosecution, led by the Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem-Sai, did not oppose the bail application.
He has been ordered to report to the CID fortnightly, surrender his travel documents, and seek permission before travelling abroad.
Source: YEN.com.gh
