A High Court in Ghana has sentenced Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour after convicting him on multiple illegal mining offences in a landmark judgment aimed at strengthening the country’s fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. Wontumi, a businessman and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), was found guilty alongside his company, Akonta Mining Limited, of conducting illegal mining operations inside a protected forest reserve near Samreboi in the Western Region. Delivering the judgment, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ruled that Wontumi unlawfully transferred mineral rights without the approval of the sector minister and facilitated unlicensed mining activities in violation of Ghana’s Minerals and Mining Act. Although the offences carry a maximum sentence of 25 years, the court imposed a 20-year prison term with hard labour.
During sentencing, the defence appealed for leniency, arguing that Wontumi was a first-time offender with no previous criminal convictions and that his businesses employ hundreds of Ghanaians whose livelihoods could be affected by his imprisonment. The court, however, held that the seriousness of the offences outweighed the mitigating factors. The case experienced several legal delays before the final verdict. Wontumi’s initial lawyer, Andy Appiah Kubi, withdrew from the case and was replaced by Samuel Atta Akyea, who requested additional time to review the prosecution’s evidence. Atta Akyea later petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge the interpretation of the Minerals and Mining Act and sought to postpone the High Court’s judgment, citing his client’s absence from the country. The court dismissed the application, describing it as lacking merit, and proceeded with sentencing.
Wontumi, 50, has served as the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman since 2014 and has been regarded as one of the party’s most influential financiers during the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. In addition to his mining interests, he owns television and radio stations and several businesses across Accra and Kumasi. He also attracted international attention in 2022 after publicly expressing interest in purchasing English football club Chelsea FC. His conviction follows his arrest by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in 2025 over allegations of illegal mining and a separate investigation involving a GH¢14 million Exim Bank loan obtained for an agricultural project. At the time of his conviction, Wontumi was seeking to become the NPP’s national chairman. The ruling comes as Ghana intensifies efforts to curb illegal mining, which continues to destroy forests, pollute rivers and threaten water security. Successive governments have identified galamsey as one of the country’s most pressing environmental challenges, with illegal mining operations causing widespread ecological damage and undermining legitimate mining activities. The judgment is expected to send a strong signal that authorities are prepared to prosecute high-profile individuals involved in illegal mining regardless of their political status.
