NPP Leadership Mounts Vigorous Defense of Chairman Wontumi, Labeling Conviction a Miscarriage of Justice | Discuss Ghana

Following an emergency session convened by the national executive committee and the party's legal team, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, delivered a scathing critique of the High Court’s ruling against Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi).

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday evening, Kodua declared Wontumi a "political prisoner," asserting that Criminal Court 4 relied on speculative inferences rather than tangible evidence to hand down a 20-year custodial sentence in the Samreboi illegal mining case.

“Chairman Wontumi has been convicted in circumstances where there was no evidence at all to support a conviction in respect of the offence for which he has been convicted,” Kodua stated emphatically. “It was never disputed that Chairman Wontumi lawfully acquired his mineral concession. The central question was whether that concession had been assigned or transferred in violation of the law. No evidence was produced before the court establishing any unlawful assignment by Chairman Wontumi. Instead, the conviction rested on assumptions and inferences.”

Key Arguments Raised by the NPP Secretariat

The party's official response highlighted several primary legal and political grievances:

Lack of Direct Evidence: Kodua contended that the prosecution failed to present written authorization documents, contracts, or physical evidence establishing that Wontumi formally assigned or transferred mineral rights to third-party operators without ministerial approval.

Circumstantial Proof vs. Reasonable Doubt: The NPP argued that relying on circumstantial evidence to infer guilt falls short of the statutory standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt required in criminal proceedings under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).Allegations of Selective Prosecution: Pointing to unaddressed petitions involving political opponents, Kodua accused the state of enforcing environmental and mining laws selectively to weaken the opposition's mobilization machinery in its Ashanti Region stronghold.

Appellate Process Underway Confirming the party's immediate next steps, Kodua announced that Wontumi’s legal defense team—supported by the national party—has formally initiated appeal proceedings at the Court of Appeal.

The defense will petition for a stay of execution and bail pending appeal, expressing confidence that higher judicial authorities will review the trial court's inferences and set aside the conviction.