In Ghana, the Accra High Court has
sentenced Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard
Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years imprisonment
over illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession in the Western Region
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, who presided over the Criminal
Division of the High Court, delivered the sentence shortly after 11:40 am on
Monday, July 20, 2026, bringing to an end one of Ghana’s most closely watched
illegal mining prosecutions.
The court also imposed
a fine of 10,000 penalty units on Mr Antwi-Boasiako, with a default sentence of
three years' imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
The custodial sentence and the default term attached to the fine will run concurrently.
Justice Kocuvie-Tay had earlier found Mr Antwi-Boasiako guilty
on all six counts, including assigning mineral rights without approval and
purposely facilitating an unlicensed mining operation contrary to the Minerals
and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
The 20-year sentence
falls within the statutory range of between 15 and 25 years prescribed under
the law for the offences.
Please more analysis to come ........
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