The Accra High Court has postponed the bail application filed on behalf of former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to October 15, 2026.
The application was supposed to be heard on Wednesday, August 19, as Wontumi’s lawyers are asking the court to release him on bail while his appeal is being considered.
However, the case could not go ahead because Wontumi and his lead lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, were not in court.
The NPP Director of Legal Affairs, Gary Nimako, was present during the proceedings.
The court clerk later informed the parties that the trial judge was unavailable and would not be sitting for the rest of the week.
Because of the judge’s absence, the court was unable to hear the bail application and adjourned the matter to October 15, 2026.
This means Wontumi’s lawyers will now have to wait until the new date to formally present their request for his release while his appeal is pending.
Wontumi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence handed down by the Accra High Court after he was convicted of illegal mining-related offences.
His lawyers have appealed the conviction and sentence and are also asking the court to grant him bail while the appeal process continues.
The bail application is separate from the main appeal. For now, the immediate issue before the court is whether Wontumi should be released from custody while he waits for the final decision on his appeal.
