Private legal practitioner and former Member of Parliament for Asante-Akyem North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has revealed that NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, had prior knowledge of his conviction and exact sentence before the Accra High Court formally delivered its judgment in the Samreboi illegal mining case.
Speaking in an interview with TV3, Appiah-Kubi—who previously served as Wontumi's lead defense counsel during the high-profile trial—disclosed that his client had informed him beforehand that he would be convicted and handed a 20-year prison sentence. While criticizing the judgment as legally flawed for failing to separate the corporate identity of Akonta Mining Limited from its owner under company law, Appiah-Kubi confirmed that Wontumi instructed him to prepare an appeal to challenge the ruling. The revelation follows the Accra High Court's sentencing of Chairman Wontumi on July 20 to 20 years' imprisonment with hard labor alongside fines for illegal mining-related offenses, bringing renewed public scrutiny to the judicial processes surrounding the trial.
Navigating legal appeals and public disclosures surrounding high-profile anti-galamsey prosecutions continues to draw significant national attention across Ghana's legal and political spheres.
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