Wontumi Files for Bail at High Court After 20-Year Prison Sentence

• NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Wontumi, is currently serving time at Nsawam Medium Security Prisons
• Wontumi's lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea filed a bail application on August 5, 2026, citing two separate Acts of Parliament as legal grounds
• The application is scheduled to be heard before the High Court Criminal Division in Accra on August 19, 2026

Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) widely known as Wontumi, has filed a bail application at the High Court while his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence is underway.

The application, dated August 5, 2026, was submitted by his legal counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea of Zoe, Akyea and Co. It draws on Section 96(1) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30) and Section 33(1) of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) as its statutory basis.

The motion requests that the court release Wontumi on bail for the duration of the appeal process, with the supporting affidavit outlining the grounds for the request.

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The case is formally titled The Republic v. Bernard Antwi Boasiako @ Wontumi, Kwame Antwi (at large), and Akonta Mining Company Limited, with Wontumi listed as the first appellant and Akonta Mining Company Limited as the third.

The application is scheduled to be moved before the High Court, Criminal Division 4 in Accra on August 19, 2026.

Copies have been served on the Office of the Attorney-General, named as respondent, and the Director of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, where Wontumi is currently held.

Conviction Stemmed From Illegal Mining Charges

Wontumi was convicted on all six charges brought against him and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment by the High Court.

He was prosecuted alongside Akonta Mining Limited and a co-accused, Kwame Antwi, in connection with illegal mining activities on the company's concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.

Prosecutors established that the accused parties unlawfully transferred mineral rights on the concession without the required approval from the sector minister and carried out mining operations without the necessary authorisation, in contravention of the Minerals and Mining Act.

The High Court will now determine whether Wontumi qualifies for bail pending the final resolution of his appeal.

Source: YEN.com.gh