The Accra High Court has thrown out an application by lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi seeking leave to withdraw his legal representation in the ongoing criminal case involving Akonta Mining Company Limited and Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Reports suggest the court upheld a preliminary objection filed by the Attorney-General, ruling that the application was incompetent and had no legal requirement for counsel to seek the court’s permission before withdrawing legal services.
According to the Attorney-General, the motion raised no issues warranting judicial determination and should therefore not be entertained.
The court, in its ruling, sustained the State’s objection and struck out the application.
It further directed that the filing of closing addresses by parties in the matter remains optional.
The Accra High Court subsequently extended the deadline for the submission of any closing addresses to June 23, 2026, with the case adjourned to July 3, 2026, for judgment.
The development follows Lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi, who filed a motion to withdraw from his client’s Samreboi illegal mining case
The veteran Lawyer alleged that the Ghana courts are turned into personal institutions, arguing that outside influence is taking precedence over evidence presented before the court.
According to him, he had no breathing space in Chairman Wontumi’s Samreboi illegal mining case.
He further disclosed that he intends to petition the Ghana Bar Association to address the matter he has cited in his affidavit.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM on June 11, 2026, Appiah-Kubi detailed, “Can we convict based on the evidence before the court? I always cry and pray that the court remains a court where judgments are made based on evidence presented in court and not at the whim of people outside it. If we are not careful, it will be as though one person acts and another is judged for it.
“I have filed a motion to withdraw from the case, and I have stated my reasons in an affidavit. I will also caution that we should not judge people based on appearances, because injustice to one person is injustice to all,” he said.
Andy Appiah-Kubi added, “Today we are here, tomorrow we are here, and there is no breathing space. Is this the only case in the country? I am going to petition the Bar Association to ask whether they will sit and allow this to continue. Are we going to allow our courts to become someone’s institution?”
Lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi further called on the Chief Justice to ensure public telecasts of high-profile cases in the country to reveal what truly happens in court proceedings.
He added, “I wish the Chief Justice would telecast some of these high-profile cases so people can see the real character of what is happening in our courts. I wish you could come to court and see the proceedings but some people outside the court are making all sorts of comments, saying he should be jailed”.
Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai arrives at the High Court for the hearing of a motion for leave filed by lawyer Appiah Kubi in the Chairman Wontumi Samreboi case.#GHNow pic.twitter.com/CLpIE7wTCy
— GHnow (@ghnow_) June 15, 2026
High Court stops Appiah Kubi from “abandoning” Wontumi as his lawyer#GHnow pic.twitter.com/AnweicmaZZ
— GHnow (@ghnow_) June 15, 2026
