'Wontumi admitted he has learnt his lessons' - NDC's Gifty Gbedevi

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communication team, Gifty Enam Gbedevi, has disclosed that New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, admitted to her that he had learnt his lessons amid his legal troubles.

Speaking on JoyPrime monitored by GhanaWeb on July 22, 2026, she recounted how she once met Chairman Wontumi at a restaurant and had a brief conversation with him.

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“I personally met Chairman Wontumi at a restaurant. I walked to him and I was like, Chairman, you are not looking good at all. He said his issues were dragging him here and there. He admitted that he has learned his lessons from the NPP government", she said.

Enam Gbedevi further argued that the NDC government was not interested in jailing innocent people.

She noted that Chairman Wontumi’s case went through due process before the court reached its decision.

“Let’s not pretend as if the NDC government is in to jail people who are innocent. Chairman Wontumi to me is not innocent of what is happening because this is a competent court of jurisdiction,” she said.

She noted that the case had been before the court for nine months and 14 days, with extensive investigations and legal processes undertaken before the judgment.

“A lot has gone into it. A lot of investigation has gone into it,” she added.

Enam Gbedevi urged the NPP to seek legal remedies rather than criticising the court’s decision through press conferences.

“They should go and plead. And when they go and plead, I think government will even or the court will even listen to them rather than shouting on the streets, going in for 400 times press conferences and what have you. The court is the right place to go and plead,” she said.

Her comments follow the conviction of Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining Limited, by an Accra High Court over illegal mining-related offences.

The court sentenced Wontumi to 20 years in prison after finding him and Akonta Mining guilty on six counts relating to the assignment of mineral rights without ministerial approval and facilitating mining operations without a licence.

The NPP has since announced its decision to appeal the court’s ruling.

JKB/VPO

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