The Accra High Court has ordered the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, to open his defence in an illegal mining case linked to his company’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The ruling was delivered on Monday, March 16, by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay after the court considered a submission of no case filed by the defence.
Chairman Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining Company Limited, are facing charges for allegedly transferring or assigning mining rights on the Samreboi concession to a third party without approval from the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources.
The alleged beneficiary of the concession is Henry Okum.
Both accused persons have pleaded not guilty and remain on bail.
In her ruling, Justice Kocuvie-Tay said the prosecution had established enough grounds for the case to continue. She told the court that the evidence presented so far created a rebuttable presumption that the accused persons may have committed the offences.
During the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses. The first witness, artisanal miner Michael Gyedu Ayisi, testified that he worked on the Samreboi concession under Henry Okum but admitted he had no documentary proof linking Chairman Wontumi to any transfer of the concession.
Police investigator Detective Chief Inspector Sarfo Asiedu Kwasi also told the court that 29 suspects were arrested during an operation at the site, where excavators, gold, firearms, ammunition and cash were seized.
With the court’s ruling, Chairman Wontumi, who is representing his company in the proceedings, is now expected to present his defence before the trial continues.
