Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has formally appealed his conviction in the high-profile Samreboi illegal mining case, asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the entire judgement of the Accra High Court.
The appeal, filed jointly by Mr Boasiako and Akonta Mining Company Limited, follows their conviction by the Accra High Court (Criminal Division 4), presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, on July 20, 2026.
In the Notice of Appeal, the appellants stated that they are dissatisfied with the High Court’s decision and are seeking to have the entire judgment set aside.
According to the appeal, the convictions “are unreasonable and cannot be supported having regard to the evidence adduced at the trial.”
The appellants also argue that the trial judge failed to interpret the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 properly (Act 703), as amended.
“The learned trial judge did not read the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended, as a whole. The combined effect of sections 13(8) and 46 of the said Act is exculpatory of the 1st and 3rd Appellants and consistent with their innocence.”
The appeal further contends that the trial judge exceeded the court’s jurisdiction by interpreting constitutional provisions that fall within the Supreme Court’s exclusive jurisdiction.
Specifically, the appellants argue:
“The learned trial Judge usurped the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in flagrant contravention of Article 130(1)(a) and (2) of the Constitution 1992 in interpreting Article 19(11) of the Constitution set against sections 14(1), 59, 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended by Section 3 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2019 (Act 995), as clear, when both parties have rival meanings on the words ‘unless the offence is defined … in a written law’.”
The Court of Appeal is expected to fix a date to hear the case, where Wontumi and Akonta Mining will seek to overturn the High Court’s conviction and judgment.
