The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced plans to challenge the conviction and sentencing of its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, describing the High Court’s decision as unjust and unsupported by the evidence presented during the trial.
The party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, made the announcement while addressing journalists after an emergency National Executive Committee meeting convened in response to the judgment delivered in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case.
Justin Kodua argued that the court failed to properly consider evidence that, according to the party, exonerated Chairman Wontumi. He maintained that there was no basis for the conviction and assured party supporters that the legal battle was far from over.
“There is no justification for the judgment since the judge obviously ignored clear evidence exonerating Wontumi. The New Patriotic Party stands firmly with him. Our legal team has already commenced the necessary steps to challenge this judgment through the appellate process,” he stated.
Beyond the legal challenge, the NPP accused the government of pursuing selective prosecutions in its fight against illegal mining, insisting that the campaign lacked credibility if it was perceived to target only members of the opposition.
“The fight against illegal mining cannot be credible when it targets only persons from the opposition. Ghanaians expect leadership that demonstrates urgency, competence and an unwavering commitment to protecting lives, livelihoods and national security,” Mr Kodua said.
He further accused the government of attempting to divert public attention from more pressing national issues through politically motivated prosecutions.
The General Secretary also described Chairman Wontumi as a “political prisoner,” assuring party faithful that the NPP would continue to support him throughout the appeals process.
The High Court in Accra on Monday sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of the two counts on which he was convicted in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case. The sentences are to run concurrently.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court fined Wontumi 10,000 penalty units on each count. Akonta Mining Limited, which was also convicted on two counts, was fined 15,000 penalty units for each count.
