The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has issued a disclaimer clarifying that its Deputy Commissioner, Mercy Larbi, was not the High Court judge who sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years in prison.
According to CHRAJ, they have taken notice of a false publication circulating on social media that wrongly attributes a court judgment to its Deputy Commissioner, Mrs Mercy Larbi, by one Frank Mandela Bawumia on Facebook and blakk360 on TikTok.
The Commission categorically states that the claims are false, misleading, and without any factual basis.
In a disclaimer issued on July 22, 2026, CHRAJ stated, “The attention of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice has been drawn to the circulation of a photograph of its Deputy Commissioner, Ms. Mercy Larbi, on some social media platforms, claiming that she is the High Court Judge who sentenced Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi to 20 years in prison.
The Commission states unequivocally that this Deputy Commissioner did not preside over the proceedings in question and is not the Judge responsible for the sentence being attributed to her.
The publication and circulation of her photograph in connection with the sentence are false, misleading, and without factual basis.
Such misinformation has the tendency to mislead the public, undermine confidence in the administration of justice, and unjustly expose our Deputy Commissioner to unwarranted public criticism and reputational harm.
The public is accordingly advised to disregard these publications and to refrain from sharing or reproducing them.
The Commission urges all media houses, bloggers, content creators, and other members of the public to verify information from credible sources before publishing them.
Our Commission remains committed to upholding the integrity, independence, and impartiality of the justice delivery system and will continue to discharge its mandate with professionalism, fairness, and fidelity to the rule of law.
Attached to this disclaimer are examples of the false publications by Frank Mandela Bawumia on Facebook and blakk360 on TikTok”.
In other news, Ken Ashigbey, a Convener of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, has refuted claims circulating on social media which suggest he influenced the conviction of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Wontumi.
In a statement issued on July 21, 2026, Ashigbey refuted claims that he knew Chairman Wontumi would be jailed because the trial judge was his sister-in-law.
According to him, the claims are false and urged the public to disregard them.
Parts of Ken Ashigbey’s statement read, “My attention has been drawn to a completely false publication alleging that my relationship with the trial judge influenced the ruling, and attributing to me the statement that ‘I was confident Wontumi will go to jail because the judge is my sister-in-law.’
“I wish to state categorically: I never made that statement. It is false. I have never said, anywhere, at any time, that I was confident Wontumi would go to jail because the judge is my sister-in-law. That quote is a fabrication.”
He further rejected attempts to link the judgment in the Akonta Mining case to a separate petition he filed together with Martin Kpebu, Edem Senanu and Kwame Asiedu.
He revealed that the petition they submitted is still pending before a different court and has not been heard or determined.
“The ruling of the Republic vs Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Kwame Antwi (At Large), Akonta Mining Company Limited case has nothing to do with our petition. The case that we petitioned is still pending before another court. It has not been heard on the merits, and no ruling has been given,” he said.
“I was not a party to the case that was ruled on. I had no direct interest in it. In the circumstances, there could not have been any conflict-of-interest situation as is being alleged,” he said.
“The judiciary must be allowed to do its work. Dragging judges’ names and family relationships into propaganda to discredit court decisions undermines confidence in our justice system and must be condemned,” he stated.
“For the past eight years, I have maintained the principled view that those who organise, finance and benefit from illegal mining activities should be subject to the maximum sentence prescribed by law. I stand by that position without reservation,” he said.
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