Chairman Wontumi Jailed: Lawyer Maurice Ampaw Warns of Spiritual Consequences After 20-Year Sentence
- Private legal practitioner Maurice Ampaw spoke out after the Accra High Court handed down a ruling on July 20, 2026
- Ampaw claimed the criminal proceedings against Chairman Wontumi were predetermined from the very beginning
- The lawyer cautioned against jubilation over the verdict, warning that political partisanship was clouding judgment on justice
Private legal practitioner Maurice Ampaw has issued a stark warning following the Accra High Court's conviction of Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, saying those he believes contributed to what he sees as an injustice will not escape repercussions.
Source: Getty Images
Ampaw delivered his reaction on July 20, 2026, in an interview with GhanaWeb shortly after the court handed down its verdict.
Maurice Ampaw warns about Chairman Wontumi's sentence
The lawyer was unsparing in his assessment, insisting that wrongdoing against an innocent person carries its own weight.
"There are consequences for that. When you do injustice to an innocent soul, there are consequences for that. And everybody who played a part will see the consequences," he said.
Ampaw went further, suggesting the case was compromised well before it reached its conclusion.
"For some of us, the way we see it, this case was prejudiced, from the beginning to the end... So, we need to [pause], and then we'll see what will happen, legally and spiritually," he stated.
He also urged restraint from those who may feel inclined to celebrate the outcome.
"I want to say that anybody who would jubilate over what has happened to Wontumi, does not know what tomorrow brings, because this is not a time for jubilation; it's a time for reflection."
Ampaw expressed no surprise at the verdict, describing the proceedings as deeply troubling in his decades of legal experience.
"I'm not shocked about the outcome of Wontumi's case, because it was clear that if you want to argue, it is one of the most predetermined criminal proceedings that I've ever witnessed as a lawyer."
Wontumi's conviction and 20-year sentence
The Accra High Court found Chairman Wontumi guilty on all six counts brought against him, linked to illegal mining activities on the concession of Akonta Mining Company Limited at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The charges included assigning mineral rights without approval and facilitating an unlicensed mining operation.
The court sentenced him to 20 years' imprisonment with hard labour and imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units, with a three-year default sentence should the fine go unpaid.
The custodial terms are to run concurrently. Akonta Mining Company Limited received a financial penalty rather than a custodial sentence.
Ampaw used the occasion to raise broader concerns about what he described as a pattern of politically charged prosecutions.
"Currently, there is always jailing of NPP people, and NDC people jubilate. All the cases that are going to court lead to jail, arrest, denial of bail, and NDC is jubilating, whilst NPP is crying and mourning," he said, calling for Ghanaians to look beyond party lines when assessing the state of the country's justice system.
Video of Wontumi being escorted to jail
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that Chairman Wontumi had been captured being escorted out of the Accra High Court in a police vehicle following the sentencing.
The Accra High Court handed down a 20-year hard-labour sentence and a fine of 10,000 penalty units to Chairman Wontumi
Source: YEN.com.gh
