The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been charged by the State for allegedly assigning mineral rights without ministerial approval.
He is facing trial alongside Akonta Mining Company Limited and one of its directors, Kwame Antwi, who is currently on the run.
The three have been slapped with six counts — three for assigning mineral rights without approval and three for facilitating unlicensed mining operations — in violation of sections of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995.
According to a charge sheet signed by Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine and filed at the High Court in Accra on October 6, 2025, Wontumi, a co-director and shareholder of Akonta Mining, has exercised “absolute control” over the company since its incorporation in 2010.
Investigations were triggered after a police anti-galamsey operation in April 2025 at Akonta Mining’s concession in Samreboi led to the arrest of 29 persons and the seizure of weapons, gold, excavators, and over GH¢157,000 in cash.
Police say the arrests revealed that Wontumi had authorized a man named Henry Okum to undertake mining operations within the concession without ministerial approval — a violation of mining regulations.
The Attorney General has asked the court to order the forfeiture of all items seized from the concession at the end of the trial.
