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The Accra High Court has dismissed an application filed by lawyers for the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, seeking to postpone the delivery of judgment in the high-profile Samreboi mining concession case.
The ruling clears the way for Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay to deliver judgment in a trial that has attracted significant public attention because of its implications for Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Chairman Wontumi appeared before the Accra High Court on the scheduled judgment day as the court considered the application filed by his new lead counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea. The motion, submitted on July 16, 2026, requested that the court defer its judgment to allow the new legal team sufficient time to obtain and study the certified records of proceedings before filing comprehensive written submissions.
Atta Akyea also argued that Section 14(1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), under which his client is being prosecuted, is vague, overly broad and inconsistent with the fair trial provisions contained in Article 19(11) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. He therefore urged the court to refer the constitutional issue to the Supreme Court. In the alternative, the defence prayed the court to acquit and discharge Chairman Wontumi.
However, lawyers from the Office of the Attorney-General opposed the application, describing it as incompetent and an abuse of the court process intended to delay the administration of justice.
According to the prosecution, Chairman Wontumi had been represented throughout the trial by legal counsel of his own choosing, and the withdrawal of his previous lawyer, Andy Appiah-Kubi, was voluntary and amicable. The state argued that the appropriate avenue for the incoming lawyer to obtain the case records was through former counsel rather than the court registry.
The Attorney-General further questioned the timing of Atta Akyea’s appointment, noting that although he publicly announced his involvement in the case on June 15, 2026, he only filed a formal notice of appearance on June 22, 2026. The prosecution described the delay as unjustified and urged the court to reject the motion.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay agreed with the prosecution, dismissing the application as incompetent and moot, thereby paving the way for the court to proceed with the scheduled judgment.
Chairman Wontumi, together with Akonta Mining Company Limited and Kwame Antwi, a director of the company who remains at large, is facing charges of assigning mineral rights without the required approval and allegedly facilitating unlicensed mining activities on the Samreboi concession.
During the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses, including small-scale miner Henry Okum, who testified that he entered into a verbal agreement with Chairman Wontumi to undertake land reclamation and mining activities on the concession. Under cross-examination, however, Okum admitted there was no written agreement, deed of assignment or ministerial approval supporting the arrangement.
Another prosecution witness, Joseph Iroko, Senior Manager for Legal Affairs at the Minerals Commission, told the court that records at the Commission showed no application or approval authorising Akonta Mining Company Limited to assign or transfer its concession.
After the prosecution closed its case, the defence filed a submission of no case, which was dismissed by the court on the grounds that the prosecution had established a prima facie case requiring the accused persons to open their defence.
Chairman Wontumi subsequently denied authorising any individual to mine on the concession, insisting that Henry Okum had only been contracted to carry out land reclamation works. The defence also called former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources George Mireku-Duker and former Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah to testify before the close of the trial.
With the dismissal of the latest application, all attention now turns to the High Court as it prepares to deliver its much-anticipated judgment in one of Ghana’s most closely watched illegal mining cases.
