Di govment accuse Chairman Wontumi of mining without license
Di Ashanti regional chairman of di opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bernard Antwi Boasiako, alias Chairman Wontumi, and his Akonta Mining Company plead not guilty to illegal mining charges bifor High Court for Accra.
Dis be afta many months of investigation as di current Attorney General announce say dem finally make ready to prosecute di popular businessman.
Di court wey Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay dey preside grant am bail of GHC 15m ($1.2m) wit three sureties.
Two of di three sureties suppose be pipo wit landed properties.
Di court also ask di regional chairman and businessman to deposit em passport wit di registrar of di High Court, wey dem put am for one stop list for all di entry points of di kontri.
Di sureties dey required to also drop copies of dia Ghana card wit di registrar of di court.
Even as di case go begin, Chairman Wontumi for report to investigators evri first and third Monday of each month.
Di latest charges dey come afta pressure continue to pile on govment to deal wit illegal mining wey dey popular as 'galamsey' afta President John Mahama meet civil society organizations (CSOs) on Friday 26 September.
Nine months afta di National Democratic Congress (NDC) win power, many groups say dem no dey see di result of fight against galamsey.
One pesin wey di current govment accuse say he dey involved in illegal mining over di last eight years for di Ashanti region, be Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Chairman Wontumi.
Di govment allege say Chairman Wontumi use im company to mine illegally.
In fact, during di previous administration, one report by di minister for environment Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, mention Chairman Wontumi and oda big political pipo wey dey involved for illegal mining.
Dat be di time di CSOs and di coalition against galamsey begin to put pressure on di govment at di time to act against di Ashanti regional chairman of di New Patriotic Party (NPP).
But di previous govment fail to act - and di new govment promise to prosecute di businessman when dem win power.
During di meeting wit di CSOs, di attorney general Dr Dominic Ayine tok say dem make ready to charge di businessman.
"We sign charges against Chairman Wontumi and five odas. We dey wait make he come Accra on 6 October make we read his rights to him," di attorney general explain in di presence of di president and all di CSOs.
Dr Ayine add say "if he no show up at di police CID on 6 October, I go issue warrant for his arrest."
Now dem officially charge Chairman Wontumi wit various counts.
Formal charges against Chairman Wontumi over galamsey
Dem slap di under fire businessman wit six charges under di kontris mining laws. Dis dey include
1. Assignment of mineral rights without approval
For dis count, dem allege say Wontumi allow two pipo Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi to carry out mining operations for di Akonta mining concession in 2024, without prior written approval of di minister for Lands and Natural Resources, against section 14(1) and 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act.
2. Assignment of mineral rights without approval
For dis count wey be like dib first one, e dey target di second accused pesin Kwame Antwi. Dem allege say as director of Akonta Mining Company Limited, he allegedly unauthorised mining activities, also against the minerals and mining act 14(1) and 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act.
3. Corporate liability for unauthorised assignment
Dis third count be against di mining company – Akonta Mining Company Limited, wey be di third accused pesin. According to di prosecution, di company thru dia operations for Samreboi in 2024, allow unauthorized mining activities on dia concession without ministerial approval.
4. Purposely facilitating unlicensed mining
Wontumi dey accused of deliberately facilitating mining operations by Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi; two pipo wey no get di requisite licence issued by di Minister.
5. Purposely facilitating unlicensed mining
Dis count 5 be against Kwame Antwi again. Prosecution allege say he also facilitate unlicensed mining operation for di company's concession by di same pipo, against di law.
6. Corporate facilitation of unlicensed mining
Dis last count dey against di Akonta Mining Company Limited again. Prosecution say di company allow unlicensed mining activities on dia concession. Dis one be corporate offence under Section 99(2)(b) of Act 703
Police grant Chairman Wontumi GHC1 million ($80k) bail ahead of trial
Di state dey prepare to begin trial of di businessman afta dem grant him GHC1 million ($80k) bail.
He dey face charges wey dey related to illegal mining activities especially 'mining without license'.
Chairman Wontumi and im lawyers deny di allegations. Dem say chairman Wontumi get all di relevant documents and licenses to work in di mining space.
Lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi tok journalists afta di meeting of his client wit di police CID say "di police show professionalism; we thank di attorney general for facilitating di process."
Di businessman Chairman Wontumi say "we go go di court as dem say di charge dey relate to mining without license. We go present our defence for court."
Di state dey expected to put Chairman Wontumi bifor court later Tuesday where dem go officially charge him for prosecution to begin.
Chairman Wontumi also dey under investigation from di Economic and Organized Crime Officer (Eoco) ova some contracts and tins related to 'causing financial loss to di state.'
CSOs kontinue to put pressure on di govment
Di CSOs and oda pressure groups dey demand say make di govment declare 'state of emergency' in areas where galamsey dey happen in di forest reserves and waterbodies.
Operatives of di current govment when dem dey opposition, fire di previous govment under President Nana Akufo-Addo - wey dem demand say make he declare state of emergency to deal wit di menace.
For years, illegal miners dey use mercury, cyanide, arsenic and oda chemicals to mine on rivers wey dem poison di waterbodies.
Health experts say dis poison dey responsible for di plenty kidney and lung diseases as well as deformities in babies for di galamsey areas.
Ghana medical association president Dr Frank Serebour say "if political leaders fail to deal wit di menace, make dem expect to lose dia positions when elections come."
Dr Serebour tok for Citi FM say "if you no fight galamsey, we go boot you out."
Di Ghana Medical Association be one of di groups wey dey against galamsey wey dey threaten public health, water resources and di environment.
Di coalition against galamsey and oda CSOs present one document to di president during di meeting on 26 September wit some demands.
Dem demand say make di govment take immediate steps to deal wit di galamsey wahala.
. Govment for declare state of emergency for places where galamsey dey worse
.Sack and prosecute public officers wey dey involved
.Go afta di bigwigs wey dey finance and sponsor di illegal mining
.Publish water safety and accountability reports
Provide resources to di anti-illegal mining operations secretariat and di police to go heavy on di illegal activities
President Mahama say he go declare state of emergency only when he get di "green light from di security council."
According to di president, di time no reach to declare "di extreme measure as we dey explore all our powers and security to deal wit dis mata. Di declaration of state of emergency for be di last resort and we no reach dat point yet."
Despite dis explanation, di coalition against galamsey disagree wey dem say di time is now .
Govment say dem demonstrate commitment towards dis fight
Wit nine months in power, di NDC govment say dem take "bold actions to stop di environmental terrorism."
Di govment say thru di lands ministry and di security agencies, dem destroy ova 400 chamfang machines wey illegal miners dey use on di waterbodies.
Di govment also explain say dem seize ova 5000 excavators and ova 1000 pumping machines wey dem dey track all new excavators wey dey enta di kontri.
Dem also say dem arrest ova 1400 pipo wey dey involved in illegal mining wey dem dey prepare dem for prosecution.
Di lands minister announce during di meeting wit di CSOs say dem declare waterbodies and forest reserves as "security zones" wey dem go send di security operatives to clear out illegal miners from dis areas.
Commanding officer in charge of di National Anti-illegal mining operations secretariat (Naimos), Colonel Dominic Buah warn say dem no go spare anybody wey go enter di forests to do illegal mining.
For CSOs and oda environmental conservation groups, di waterbodies still dey polluted, di chemicals from di mining areas continue to poison foodstuffs wey pipo now dey import water.
In fact di Ghana water company for 11 September 2025 shut down dia treatment plant for Kwanyako for di Central region of di kontri.
"Di decision be sake of intake pumps for di treatment plant breakdown due to heavy silt."
Officers for di treatment plant say bifor di shutdown, dem dey produce ova 25,000 cubic meters of water but dem stop di production now.
Managers for di plant add say unless illegal mining stop, dem go continue to struggle to process water.
Central regional minister Ekow Eduamoah when im meet di local govment committee for parliament tok say "10 out of di 22 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies for di region dey face water shortage afta dem shutdown di Kwanyako treatment plant."
According to di water resources commission, some of di rivers and waterbodies for di kontri get high turbidity level.
Govment say dem arrest ova 1400 illegal miners, wey dem destroy hundreds of mining equipment in di last nine months
President John Mahama assure di citizens say he dey committed to di fight against illegal mining
Illegal miners no dey cover di pits afta dia activities for many of di mining areas
Di coalition against illegal mining say dem no see di result of di govment actions to fight galamsey so far
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