New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has visited the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison following his conviction in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case.
The visit took place on Wednesday, July 22, two days after the High Court in Accra found Wontumi guilty and sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of two counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.
Speaking in an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Dr. Bawumia’s spokesperson, Akbar Yussif Khomeini, said the visit was intended to reassure Wontumi that the NPP stands firmly behind him and remains committed to challenging the court’s decision through legal means.
According to Khomeini, the party believes the conviction was unjust and politically motivated, making it important for Dr. Bawumia, as the NPP’s leader and presidential candidate, to personally show solidarity with the Ashanti Regional Chairman.
He disclosed that Dr. Bawumia has directed the party’s legal team to work closely with lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea in preparing an appeal against the conviction.
“The matter involved the party’s Regional Chairman, so it was only right for Dr. Bawumia to mobilise the party’s legal resources to support the appeal process and publicly respond to the High Court’s judgment,” Khomeini stated.
He added that the former Vice President encouraged Wontumi to remain strong and assured him that the NPP would pursue every lawful avenue to overturn the conviction.
“Dr. Bawumia encouraged him to stay strong and reminded him that the entire party is firmly behind him. The party will do everything within the law to ensure justice is served,” he said.
Khomeini also revealed that Wontumi remained optimistic during the visit and insisted he had never engaged in illegal mining.
According to him, the Ashanti Regional Chairman expressed confidence that he would eventually be cleared by the courts.
“He maintained that he has never been involved in galamsey and believes he will ultimately be exonerated,” Khomeini said.
He further disclosed that Wontumi’s legal team has already prepared a notice of appeal containing about 20 grounds, with lead lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea expected to file it upon his return to Ghana.
Chairman Wontumi was convicted by the High Court on July 20 over illegal mining-related offences. In addition to his prison sentence, the court fined him 10,000 penalty units on each count. Akonta Mining Limited, which was also convicted on two counts in the same case, was fined 15,000 penalty units.
Before delivering its judgment, the court dismissed an application by the defence seeking to refer constitutional issues in the case to the Supreme Court, with Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ruling that the application lacked merit.
Following the ruling, Samuel Atta Akyea criticised the judgment, arguing that the constitutional questions should have been determined by the Supreme Court and confirmed that the defence would appeal the conviction.
