Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining Charged with 6 Counts of Illegal Mining Violations
Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) known as Chairman Wontumi, along with Akonta Mining Company Limited and its director Kwame Antwi, pleaded not guilty to six criminal charges related to illegal mining activities in Ghana’s Western North Region when they appeared before Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay at the Accra High Court on October 7, 2025.
Wontumi was granted bail of GH¢15 million with three sureties—two required to provide proof of landed property—plus conditions including passport surrender, placement on a stop list at entry points, monthly reporting to investigators on the first and third Mondays, and Ghana Card deposits from sureties.
The case was adjourned for further proceedings, with the prosecution required to file monthly investigation updates.a1aefc
The charges, filed by Attorney General Dominic Ayine on October 6, 2025, under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), stem from alleged unauthorized operations in the Aboi and Tano Nimiri Forest Reserves, despite Akonta’s off-reserve license being revoked in April 2025 for encroachments.
A joint security raid on April 26, 2025, arrested 29 individuals, including Michael Ayisi Gyedu, who claimed Wontumi’s authorization for mining unmined sections while reclaiming others.
