The High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, has granted bail to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and Edward Akuoko, the Operations Manager of Akonta Mining Company Limited, in the ongoing illegal mining case relating to the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
The two, who are among five accused persons and entities in the case, were each granted bail in the sum of GHC10 million with two sureties, one of whom must justify with proof of landed property.
The court further directed the accused to deposit their travel documents with the Registrar and report to the investigator once every other week until further notice.
Both Chairman Wontumi and Mr. Akuoko pleaded not guilty to all charges when they made their first appearance before the court.
They are standing trial alongside three others — Akonta Mining Limited itself; Kwadwo Owusu Bempah, the company’s Operations Manager; and Kwame Antwi, a co-director — both of whom are currently at large.
The charges stem from alleged illegal mining operations said to have been carried out in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve without the requisite authorisation.
Chairman Wontumi, who is also a director of Akonta Mining, entered his plea on his own behalf and on behalf of the company.
Charges Summary
1. Akonta Mining Company Limited (1st Accused)
Represented in court by Chairman Wontumi, the company pleaded not guilty to all counts.
- Count 1: Undertaking mining operations without a licence — alleged to have operated in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in 2022 without authorisation from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
- Count 4: Felling trees in a forest reserve without authority — accused of illegally felling over 300 merchantable trees and numerous saplings without written permission from the Forestry Commission.
- Count 6: Erecting buildings in a forest reserve without authorisation — alleged to have constructed makeshift structures and checkpoints within the forest without official approval.
2. Bernard Antwi Boasiako (2nd Accused)
Pleaded not guilty to all counts.
- Count 2: Undertaking a mining operation without a licence — charged as co-owner/director of Akonta Mining for allegedly engaging in unlicensed mining in 2022.
- Count 5: Abetting the unauthorised felling of trees — allegedly facilitated the felling of protected trees in the forest reserve.
- Count 7: Abetting the unauthorised erection of buildings — accused of aiding the construction of unauthorised structures in the forest.
3. Kwame Antwi (3rd Accused – At Large)
Co-director of Akonta Mining.
- Counts 2, 5, and 7: Jointly charged with Wontumi for undertaking mining without a licence, abetting unauthorised felling of trees, and abetting the erection of unauthorised buildings.
Investigators say efforts are ongoing to trace his whereabouts, as he has yet to participate in company operations.
4. Edward Akuoko (4th Accused)
General Manager, Akonta Mining.
- Count 3: Undertaking mining operations without a licence — alleged to have overseen illegal mining activities on behalf of the company.
- Counts 5 and 7: Jointly charged for abetting the unauthorised felling of trees and the erection of buildings.
5. Kwadwo Owusu Bempah (5th Accused – At Large)
Operations Manager, Akonta Mining.
- Counts 3, 5, and 7: Jointly charged with Akuoko for undertaking unlicensed mining, abetting the felling of trees, and aiding the construction of unauthorised structures.
Meanwhile, many NPP supporters believe that the attempt by the Attorney General using the state as a conduit to prosecute the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Chairman Wontumi, as he is affectionately called, is a pure political witch-hunting.
The National Democratic Congress in October 2022 asked then President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to prosecute what they claimed were officials allegedly found complicit of illegal small scale mining. National Communications Officer of the NDC, now the CEO of GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi trumpeted at a press conference fingering elements like Charles Onuahontor Cromwell Bissue, who served as the Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, and Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Executive Director of Akonta Mines.
Despite Ex-President Akuffo-Addo publicly declaring that he was not ready to shield any member of his government from accountability and would prosecute any member of his government based on verifiable evidence, the opposition NDC consistently chimed of jailing the likes of Bernard Antwi Boasiako for mining in protected forest reserves.
Some believe that the current chronology of events including the Chairman Wontumi’s initial arrest and detention by EOCO and being arraigned before court and charged with six counts are well orchestrated plan by elements within the NDC that harboured ill intents towards the Ashanti Regional Chair of the NPP.
|Original Article by citinewsroom.com|
