Some NPP supporters have fumed following the sentencing of Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour over his Samreboi illegal mining case.
According to the NPP supporters, Chairman Wontumi did not murder anyone; hence, his 20-year sentence was too harsh.
In a viral video, the NPP supporters stated, “Chairman Wontumi hasn’t killed anyone. 20 years is too much. Some people have deliberately decided to let him suffer, but they have forgotten that power is transient”.
However, Ing. Ken Ashigbey, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, has said the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, should have been jailed for 25 years.
According to Ken Ashigbey, Wontumi’s 20-year sentence is punitive enough, but not enough.
Ken Ashigbey, a strong advocate in the fight against illegal mining, however, stressed that Wontumi’s 20-year sentence would serve as a deterrent to others involved in the practice.
He argued that the judge should have given Wontumi the maximum fine, 25 years plus.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV, Ken Ashigbey stated, “I’m happy that this case has gone its full circle. I would have wished that the learned judge would have given 25 years plus the maximum fine, but 20 years is good enough. Yes, it’s punitive enough, but not enough”.
Ken Ashigbey further expressed hope that other Galamsey kingpins should also face similar penalties, including maximum prison terms and fines.
He called on the Mahama government to ensure that all persons found culpable in illegal mining activities are treated equally under the law.
“Other kingpins should be made to face justice,” he added.
His comment comes on the heels of the Accra High Court sentencing Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The presiding Judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, delivered the sentence shortly after 11:40 am on Monday, July 20, 2026, which brings an end to one of Ghana’s most closely watched illegal mining prosecutions case.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay also imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units on Wontumi, with a default sentence of three years’ imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
Justice Kocuvie-Tay had earlier found Wontumi guilty on all six counts, including assigning mineral rights without approval and purposely facilitating an unlicensed mining operation contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
Wontumi’s 20-year sentence falls within the statutory range of between 15 and 25 years prescribed under the law for the offences.
According to the court, the prosecution had established that Wontumi, as owner and controlling director of Akonta Mining Company Limited, allowed mining activities to take place on the Samreboi concession without the required approval from the Lands Ministry.
The High Court disclosed that Wontumi. permitted Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi to undertake mining activities on the concession without obtaining the prior written approval required under Section 14(1) of Act 703.
Wontumi and Akonta Mining have been found guilty on six charges; each count carries a possible sentence of up to 25 years’ imprisonment.
The Accra High Court had earlier dismissed an application by lawyers for NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, seeking to defer judgment.
The High Court dismissed Atta Akyea’s application seeking to defer judgment aspects of the case to the Supreme Court for constitutional interpretation, before proceeding to deliver its judgment in the Samreboi mining case.
The presiding judge, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, ruled that the application for adjournment lacked merit after defence counsel informed the court that substantive lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea was out of the country and would return on July 22.
Justice Kocuvie-Tay refused the request, stating that if counsel had a prior engagement, the court ought to have been informed earlier.
Justice Kocuvie-Tay subsequently dismissed the application, proceeding with the delivery of judgment.
Watch the video below:
🚨 BREAKING: Chairman Wontumi has been convicted by the Accra High Court in the Samreboi illegal mining case.#GHNow pic.twitter.com/zOD5RgPMio
— GHnow (@ghnow_) July 20, 2026
@ghnow_ What Akufo-Addo said about Chairman Wontumi’s Akonta Mining
♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ Friend of the court pleaded for Chairman Wontumi’s sentence to be reduced #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
