The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, commonly known as Chairman Wontumi, has hit back at Elikem Kotoko, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, after he narrated a phone call he received from him.
The Deputy CEO of Forestry Commission in Joy Prime revealed that Wontumi’s phone call came shortly after security officials busted people engaging in illegal mining at Samreboi in the Western Region, a site belonging to Akonta Mining Limited.
Speaking in an interview on Joy Prime, Elikem Kotoko recalled, “I’m still wondering why Chairman Wontumi called me one day after the Samreboi incident, something I never spoke about. (Wontumi said) ‘Hello, Elikem, this is Chairman Wontumi.’ I said, ‘Aha’”.
Elikem Kotoko added, “Oo, Elikem, why are you doing this to me? Your boss is my friend. When are you going to come to Kumasi so we can sit and talk?”
“What was he calling me for? I never said this anywhere, but I’ve decided… he has never called me, not even when I won my elections”, he added.
Elikem Kotoko added that he is not surprised by the legal challenges Wontumi is facing because he was alleged to be a kingpin in the galamsey menace.
“Who didn’t know that if you want to mention names, he was one of the number one people who probably was perceived to be leading people into the forest, into the places, because he saw himself as the greatest kingpin and all — nobody comes through the mine except through me, Wontumi,” he said.
In a sharp rebuttal in a post on Facebook, Chairman Wontumi admitted to calling Elikem Kotoko, but not because of the so-called raid on a galamsey site linked to Akonta Mining.
Wontumi, in his post, wrote, “Yes, I called you, but not because of your so-called ‘raid’. I called on April 18th, the eve of Good Friday, after you falsely linked my name to illegal mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, something I have absolutely no connection to.
Let’s be honest. In that private call, I told you clearly that I, Wontumi, have no interest, no investment, and no hand in any illegal mining activity. I even told you to arrest everyone, seize every machine and vehicle, and check the documents to see if my name appears anywhere”.
He added, “Everyone who truly knows me in private life and in public can attest that I, Wontumi, am a respecter of persons. So if I tell you, “Whenever you come to Kumasi, let’s meet,” I don’t think that’s something bad or wrong to say, is it? We might belong to different ideologies, but that doesn’t automatically make me evil or your enemy.
So it shocks me that you’ve been moving from one TV station to another, trying to crucify and disgrace me for something I know nothing about. Like any human being, I have my flaws — but this deliberate attempt to humiliate me is cruel and disappointing.
Bro, remember vengeance belongs to the Lord. Today, it may be me, but tomorrow it could be you or anyone else. Power is transient; no one holds it forever.
I am not above the law, and I will always subject myself to it. But please, let’s stop twisting lies into truth. I was never part of any illegal activity in the Tano Nimiri Forest”, he concluded.
Meanwhile, Chairman Wontumi was released from police custody some weeks ago after three nights.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) released comes after he fulfilled bail conditions amounting to GH₵25 million imposed across two separate illegal mining cases.
Wontumi, on Tuesday, October 7, was granted a ₵25 million bail by the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court in connection with two separate cases relating to alleged illegal mining.
Chairman Wontumi and the Operations Manager of Akonta Mining Company Limited were granted bail in the sum of GHC10 million with two sureties.
The two sureties, one must be justified with proof of landed property.
Wontumi and Akonta Mining have been accused of destroying 13 hectares of land in the Tano Nimiri forest.
The NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman pleaded not guilty to all seven charges levelled against him.
In another case, Chairman Wontumi was slapped with seven fresh charges, which stem from his alleged mining in Tano Nimire Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
The charges come barely after he appeared in a separate case.
In this case, Wontumi and four others associated with his Akonta Mining Company Limited are facing the accusations of unlawfully engaging in mining operations, environmental destruction.
Additionally, the Accra High Court has granted Wontumi a ₵15 million bail with three sureties in a separate case.
The Accra High Court gave the prosecution three weeks to file disclosures.
Meanwhile, the next hearing is scheduled for October 28, 2025.
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