Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has cast doubt on the prospects of an appeal by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), following his conviction and 20-year prison sentence.
According to Lawyer Kpebu, he sees Wontumi’s conviction as a one-way street, as he sees no strong ground to overturn the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman’s 20-year prison sentence.
Speaking on Joy FM’s News Night on Monday, July 20, Lawyer Kpebu stated, “This one, maybe I have a biased mind. It’s difficult. It’s difficult to really appreciate and come out with a strong ground of appeal for Wontumi”, he said.
“I think I see it as a one-way street, and in this one, he (Chairman Wontumi) is guilty as charged”.
Lawyer Kpebu recognised that lawyers often approach cases differently when acting for a client but indicated that he could not identify a convincing basis for reversing the conviction.
The private legal practitioner further made known that he would not have accepted instructions to represent Chairman Wontumi as he had previously been involved in efforts to have allegations against him investigated.
He added, “I can never even be a lawyer on his side, no. Because, you know, we had earlier on presented a petition against him”.
He further disclosed that their petition has been pending since 2022 due to the NPP regional chairman’s political influence.
“Our petition has been pending since 2022. That was in the Akufo-Addo administration, and it’s because of Wontumi’s political power, immense political power; the CID office at the time didn’t do much about it because of the obvious political influence”.
“So you see that because I’m not on Wontumi’s side, I can’t really see what grounds of appeal I would do for him. I mean, you said a strong one. You didn’t say what grounds can be formulated, but you meant a strong one. So I’m looking at what can get him free. I don’t see one”.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the 20-year sentence of Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, as a ‘travesty of justice’.
According to the NPP, they respect the authority and independence of the judiciary, but strongly disagreed with the court’s decision.
The NPP believed that the conviction could not be sustained on the evidence presented during the trial.
The NPP, addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, July 20, addressed by the General Secretary of the party, Justin Frimpong Kodua, announced plans to mount a legal and political challenge against his conviction.
Speaking to the press, Justin Frimpong Kodua stated, “We address you today with profound disappointment, but also with an unwavering commitment to the rule of law, constitutional democracy, and the pursuit of justice”.
“While we respect the authority of our courts, respect for the judiciary does not require silence in the face of a judgment that is fundamentally flawed. Our Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to disagree with judicial decisions and to seek redress through the appellate process. That is precisely what we intend to do.”
“It is our considered view that Chairman Wontumi has been convicted in circumstances where there was no evidence at all to support a conviction in respect of the offence for which he has been convicted,” Mr Kodua stated.
“It was never disputed that Chairman Wontumi lawfully acquired his mineral concession. That fact was established and accepted before the court.”
“The prosecution could not produce any evidence to show that Wontumi had assigned his mineral right.”
“That is why we firmly believe that this conviction is a travesty of justice and has to be overturned on appeal,” Mr Kodua said.
He further added, “The NPP legal team is filing an appeal of this decision. I want the whole world to know that Wontumi being sentenced is because of politics; he did not commit any crime. He is a political criminal; it is because of politics that is why he has been jailed”.
@ghnow_ The New Patriotic Party (NPP), led by “The conviction of Chairman Wontumi is not a trophy to appease the Ghanaian people.” — Justin Frimpong Kodua, NPP General Secretary #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ The NPP leadership is addressing the party supporters following Chairman Wontumi’s 20-year prison sentence, insisting the party will challenge the verdict and pursue an appeal. What are your thoughts? #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
