Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) is the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP
The High Court in Accra has rescinded the arrest warrant for the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, who is being prosecuted by the state for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities (galamsey).
The warrant was issued after Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, reportedly absented himself from court proceedings without the appropriate permission on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
The sitting judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay, adjourned the case after issuing the warrant.
According to a report by TV3, minutes after the adjournment of the case, Wontumi and his lawyer filed an application to be re-heard in the court.
His lawyer, Andy Appiah-Kubi, told the court that they were not present in court because they were not informed of the time the trial was expected to start.
He told the court that they thought the case was going to start at 10:00am, but it started at 9:00am.
The judge stated that even though the time for Tuesday’s trial was not advertised, he expected Wontumi and his lawyer to be in court at 9:00am, because that is the time the court sitting starts.
Wontumi granted GH¢15m bail, case adjourned to October 28
The judge went on to rescind the warrant for Wontumi because his absence was due to the lack of proper communication of the time he was expected to be in court.
At an earlier sitting on October 7, 2025, Wontumi was granted bail in the sum of GH¢15 million with three sureties by the High Court in Accra.
Two of the sureties were to be justified with landed properties within the court’s jurisdiction, while the court also directed Wontumi to deposit his passport with the registrar.
His name was to be placed on a stop list at all entry points to prevent him from leaving the country.
The sureties were further required to submit copies of their Ghana Cards and digital addresses to the court registrar.
Presiding Judge Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay ordered that Wontumi report to the investigator on the first and third Monday of every month.
Chairman Wontumi, together with Akonta Mining Company Limited, pleaded not guilty to charges related to illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey, in the Western Region.
The charges stem from alleged unauthorised mining operations at Samreboi in the Western Region, invoking key provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).
According to the charge sheet, Wontumi and the other accused persons face three counts of assigning mineral rights without the necessary approval and three counts of facilitating an unlicensed mining operation.
BAI/AE
Short hair won’t stop double-salary scandals’ – Ras Mubarak fires back at Haruna Iddrisu
The wait is over! The GhanaWeb Excellence Awards 2025 is officially launched. Let’s Celebrate impact, innovation and excellence across Ghana.
Who deserves to be honoured this year?
Nominate now 👉 https://ghanaweb.com/ghanaexcellenceawards/nominate
