A spokesperson for former Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has revealed that the incarcerated politician remains in custody and is serving his sentence under difficult conditions.

This revelation by Palgrave Boakye-Danquah is a response to claims that Chairman Wontumi has been released from prison custody. According to him, Chairman Wontumi remains in custody and sleeping on a student mattress on the bare floor.

“Please ignore the rumours that Chairman Wontumi has been released. He is still in prison. Chairman Wontumi is still in prison. He is sleeping on the bare floor and a student mattress,” he said.

Chairman Wontumi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on each of the two counts after the High Court in Accra found him guilty in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case on Monday, July 20.The two prison terms will run concurrently.

Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay convicted Wontumi on Counts One and Four, while Akonta Mining Limited was convicted on Counts Three and Six.

Additionally, he was fined 10,000 penalty units on each count. Before the verdict, the defence filed a last-minute application seeking to delay the judgment and refer constitutional questions to the Supreme Court.

In April, his bid to halt the ongoing criminal proceedings in the alleged Samreboi illegal mining case was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay delivered the ruling on Tuesday, April 21.

Last year, the court adjourned two related cases involving Wontumi. In the first case, which concerns allegations that he permitted mining activities on his concession at Samreboi without the required approval, proceedings were adjourned to November 12.

The second case, in which he is accused of conducting mining operations in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve without authorisation, was also adjourned to December 4 because the presiding judge was on leave.

The adjournment followed a request by the prosecution to serve the defence with the required disclosures.

Wontumi has been accused of facilitating illegal mining by allowing individuals to operate on the Samreboi concession without the required licence. His lawyer has maintained that there is no evidence to support the illegal mining charges brought against his client.

NPP responds to Wontumi’s sentence

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) strongly criticised the government after the court handed a 20-year jail sentence to its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, calling the conviction a “travesty of justice” and insistingit will challenge the ruling through the appellate process.

In a statement issued after the High Court's judgment, the party said it respected the authority of the judiciary but could not remain silent in the face of what it believes is a fundamentally flawed decision.

According to the NPP, the prosecution failed to provide evidence to support the offence for which Chairman Wontumi was convicted, arguing that his acquisition of the mineral concession in question was lawful and never disputed during the trial.

The party claimed that the Mahama administration may seek to portray the conviction as evidence of its commitment to the fight against illegal mining but rejected such a narrative.

“This is no trophy,” the NPP declared, arguing that Ghanaians would question why similar urgency had not been demonstrated in addressing allegations involving individuals linked to the governing party.