Embattled Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, has issued a public apology to President John Mahama and First Lady Lordina Mahama following his conviction and sentencing for illegal mining.
Speaking through his spokesperson, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, during a media interview in Accra, Wontumi expressed regret for campaign utterances directed at the President and his family during the 2024 political season while appealing for presidential clemency.
Boakye-Danquah stated that the apology was made in good faith to facilitate reconciliation and support an application for the President to exercise his constitutional power of mercy.
He clarified that the gesture does not constitute an admission that political influences determined the outcome of the judicial process, emphasizing that the team recognizes broader societal dynamics and seeks to foster national unity.
The High Court in Accra sentenced Wontumi, along with Akonta Mining Limited and a third associate, to a 20-year prison term after finding them guilty on six counts of illegal mining operations within the Samreboi forest reserve in the Western Region.
While opposition figures continue to criticize the trial as political targeting, state prosecutors maintained that the legal action strictly enforced statutory provisions governing environmental conservation and mineral licensing in Ghana.
