NDC MP Blames Akufo-Addo and NPP for Chairman Wontumi's 20-Year Prison Sentence

• NDC MP David Vondee publicly blamed former President Akufo-Addo and the NPP for the conviction of Ashanti Regional Chairman Wontumi
• Vondee argued that the NPP's failure to discipline Wontumi over earlier illegal mining allegations directly led to his downfall
• High Court convicted Wontumi on six charges under the Minerals and Mining Act, handing him a 20-year concurrent prison term

An NDC parliamentarian has squarely placed responsibility for the conviction of NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, on former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party.

David Vondee, Member of Parliament for Twifo Atti Morkwa, made the remarks on UTV's Critical Issues programme.

In a report sighted on GhanaWeb, he argued that the NPP's unwillingness to hold Chairman Wontumi accountable over previous illegal mining allegations had made his eventual public reckoning inevitable.

Vondee's case against Akufo-Addo and the NPP

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The NDC MP claimed that despite former Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor having raised concerns about Wontumi's involvement in illegal mining, Akufo-Addo chose to protect rather than discipline the party official.

"If you do not reprimand your child at home, the law will reprimand your child publicly for you. That is exactly what is happening to Wontumi," Vondee said during the programme.

He went further, stating: "So, if we have to blame anyone, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP are responsible for Wontumi's jail term."

Wontumi's conviction and sentence

The political fallout follows a ruling by High Court Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay under the Minerals and Mining Act.

Wontumi was handed a 20-year concurrent prison sentence and ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 penalty units per count across six separate charges.

His company, Akonta Mining Limited, was also sanctioned, receiving a fine of 15,000 penalty units per count.

Prosecutors established that Wontumi unlawfully assigned mineral rights at Samreboi without obtaining the required ministerial approval and facilitated unauthorised mining operations at the site.

The conviction marks a significant moment in Ghana's ongoing efforts to prosecute high-profile figures connected to illegal mining, locally known as galamsey, particularly those with established political ties.

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What Asiedu Nketia said about Wontumi's conviction

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh had reported that the NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, had reacted to Chairman Wontumi’s 20-year prison sentence in a television interview.

Asiedu Nketiah had expressed specific concerns about what Wontumi’s conviction meant for the NPP’s internal leadership race.

The NDC chairman had also taken aim at the NPP over how the party had responded to Wontumi’s imprisonment.

Source: YEN.com.gh