Accra: National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has asserted that the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, was rightly sentenced to 20 years by an Accra High Court due to illegal mining activities. Asiedu Nketiah emphasized that there was ample evidence to prosecute Wontumi during the previous administration, but no action was taken.
According to Ghana Web, Asiedu Nketiah highlighted that a prior civil case had already established Wontumi's engagement in illegal mining, allegedly utilizing a prospecting licence for full-scale mining operations. Although the civil court could not impose a criminal conviction, the judgment provided a basis for the government at the time to initiate criminal proceedings against him.
Asiedu Nketiah noted that the civil case concluded with the determination that Wontumi was involved in illegal mining, misusing a prospecting licence for extensive operations. He criticized the government for failing to act on the evidence, noting that President Akufo-Addo publicly defended Wontumi against illegal mining allegations.
Furthermore, Asiedu Nketiah indicated that the then-Minister of Lands and Natural Resources was aware of the evidence against Wontumi. He mentioned that the government could have arrested and prosecuted Wontumi based on the evidence unearthed during the NPP's time in power.
He also questioned Wontumi's claim that individuals found mining on his concession were conducting land reclamation, suggesting that court evidence contradicted this claim. Chairman Wontumi was convicted on six illegal mining-related charges, resulting in a 20-year imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 penalty units, with a three-year default prison term to run concurrently.