Private legal practitioner Andy Appiah-Kubi has revealed that Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), possessed advance knowledge of his conviction and the specific sentence before the Accra High Court delivered its judgment.
Speaking on TV3 on July 25, 2026, Appiah-Kubi stated: “Chairman Wontumi had prior information that he would be convicted….He told me the content of the judgement. He told me that he will be jailed for twenty years.”
He said “The evidence on the ground does not support the judgement. Per the company law, the company is different for the owner or shareholder.
“This will form the basis of our appeal.”
Appiah-Kubi, who previously served as counsel for Wontumi before withdrawing from the case and has since indicated he will handle the appeal, said the NPP chairman contacted him on the morning of the judgment (July 20, 2026). Wontumi instructed him to proceed with an appeal if the anticipated outcome materialised.
On July 20, 2026, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay of the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court found Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining Limited, guilty on counts related to illegally assigning mineral rights without ministerial approval and facilitating unlicensed mining operations on a concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
Wontumi was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour on the relevant counts (to run concurrently) and fined 10,000 penalty units on each, while the company received fines of 15,000 penalty units per count. The offences fall under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
In the judgment, the court cited the need for deterrence against environmental degradation linked to illegal mining (galamsey) and noted that Wontumi was treated as a first-time offender, which influenced the decision not to impose the maximum possible term.
Appiah-Kubi has publicly disagreed with aspects of the ruling, arguing that the evidence does not support equating Wontumi personally with the company under company law principles and that this forms a key ground for the planned appeal.
Wontumi’s conviction has drawn strong reactions, with the NPP describing it as a miscarriage of justice and mobilising support, while government and anti-galamsey advocates have framed it as accountability in the fight against illegal mining.
