The Office of the Attorney-General has filed a six-count criminal charge sheet at the High Court (Criminal Division), in Accra against the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, over alleged breaches of Ghana’s mining laws.
Wontumi has been charged alongside Kwame Antwi and his company, Akonta Mining Limited, following what prosecutors describe as unauthorised mining operations at Samreboi in the Western Region. The second accused, Kwame Antwi, is reportedly on the run.
According to the Attorney-General’s Office, the charges arise from acts said to contravene several provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) and its 2019 Amendment (Act 995).
The allegations centre on claims that Wontumi and his associates permitted mining activities on Akonta Mining’s concession without the required ministerial approval.
Prosecutors argue that in 2024, Wontumi allegedly allowed two individuals, Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi, to carry out mining operations within Akonta’s concession area without prior written consent from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
This, according to the state, amounts to an unauthorised assignment of mineral rights and constitutes a breach of Sections 14(1) and 99(2)(b) of the law.
Similar allegations have been levelled against the second accused, Kwame Antwi, who, as a director of the company, is said to have played an active role in granting access to the same individuals without due authorisation.
The prosecution insists both men facilitated unlicensed mining activities in violation of the country’s mining regulations.
The state also holds Akonta Mining Company Limited corporately responsible, arguing that as the legal entity in whose name the concession was held, the firm bears liability for permitting and facilitating such unlicensed operations. This extends the scope of culpability to the corporate level under Section 99(2)(b) of the Act.
In addition, the prosecution contends that both Wontumi and his associate purposely aided and abetted the illegal miners, knowing they lacked the necessary licence issued by the Minister.
The alleged acts, if proven, would amount to a deliberate facilitation of illegal mining within the company’s operational area.
The charges, filed on October 6, 2025, by the Attorney-General’s Office under the leadership of Dr. Dominic Ayine, underscore government’s renewed commitment to enforcing existing mining legislation and curbing illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Section 14(1) of the Minerals and Mining Act prohibits any individual or entity from transferring or assigning mineral rights without ministerial consent, while Section 99(2)(b) criminalises the enabling or facilitation of unlicensed mining operations.
The case, which is expected to attract significant public attention, will likely test the boundaries of corporate and individual accountability under Ghana’s mining laws, and could set a major precedent in how political figures and their business interests are treated under the fight against illegal mining.
By Prince Ahenkorah