Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is facing yet another legal battle, this time, a fresh set of seven charges linked to alleged illegal mining activities inside the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
This latest case comes just hours after his earlier court appearance, where he was granted GH₵15 million bail and placed on a stop list by the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra, following six other mining-related charges.
In the new suit, filed before a different High Court, Wontumi, his company Akonta Mining Company Limited, and four others are accused of illegal mining, environmental destruction, and obstructing forestry officials in the line of duty.
“The accused persons unlawfully carried out mining operations within a protected forest reserve without the required licence or authorisation,” the prosecution stated in court documents.
The Charges
Count One and Two accuse Akonta Mining and Chairman Wontumi of undertaking mining operations at Samreboi in 2022 without a valid licence from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, a breach of Section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended.
In Count Three, two company officials, Edward Akuoku (General Manager) and Kwadwo Owusu Bempah, also known as Sly (Operations Manager, currently at large) — are similarly charged for unlicensed mining within the forest.
The fourth count alleges that the company felled more than 300 merchantable trees in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve without written permission, violating the Forest Protection Act, 1974 (NRCD 243).
On Count Five, the prosecution accuses Wontumi and three others of aiding and facilitating the unauthorised felling of trees, while Count Six charges Akonta Mining with erecting structures within the forest without approval.
The final count, Count Seven, targets Wontumi and his associates for abetting the unauthorized construction of buildings in the forest reserve. “These actions caused extensive degradation of the forest ecosystem and polluted portions of the Tano River,” the court was told.
Facts of the Case
According to the investigative report, Akonta Mining Company Limited was incorporated in 2010, with Wontumi and Kwame Antwi (now at large) listed as shareholders and directors. However, investigators say Wontumi “exercises absolute control over all company operations.”
In August 2022, after the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources rejected Akonta Mining’s request for a permit to mine in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve, officials from the Forestry Commission later discovered excavators branded with the company’s logo actively mining within the restricted area.
“The illegal operations led to the destruction of vegetation, pollution of water bodies, and the felling of hundreds of trees across an estimated 13 hectares of forest land,” the prosecution noted.
The report also detailed a violent standoff between Forestry Commission officials and armed personnel guarding the site, during which officers were forced to release seized equipment before being allowed to leave.
After months of investigation by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Chairman Wontumi and two others were arrested and charged, while two additional suspects remain on the run.
The case resumes this afternoon, where the prosecution is expected to present evidence against the accused persons.
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