Accra: Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, spokesperson for Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, has made a public appeal to President John Dramani Mahama to forgive the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after his recent sentencing to 20 years in prison.
According to Ghana Web, Dr Boakye-Danquah expressed his apologies for remarks made by Chairman Wontumi during the campaign leading up to the 2024 general election, which may have been offensive to President Mahama and his family. Dr Boakye-Danquah took the opportunity to apologize on behalf of Wontumi, urging the President to exercise mercy and forgiveness.
Speaking during an interview on Joy Prime on July 25, 2026, Dr Boakye-Danquah emphasized the importance of mercy in the face of judgment. He noted, "As a man of virtue, I want to apologize to Mr President if, at some stage, certain statements were made about his life, his wife, and his children. I apologize entirely and I ask the President to have mercy."
Chairman Wontumi's conviction came after the Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court found him guilty on six charges. Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay sentenced him to concurrent prison terms and imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units on each count. The charges stemmed from illegal mining activities linked to Akonta Mining Limited, where Wontumi and others were accused of violating the Minerals and Mining Act by facilitating unauthorized mining operations.
The court also sentenced Akonta Mining Limited to pay a fine of 15,000 penalty units for each of the two counts it was convicted on. The prosecution's case highlighted unlawful assignments of mineral rights and unauthorized facilitation of mining activities, contravening the Minerals and Mining Act's provisions.