Prominent members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) are calling on President John Dramani Mahama to grant a presidential pardon to the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, following his conviction in an illegal mining case.
The appeal comes after the Criminal Division of the High Court sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment over his role in illegal mining activities linked to the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.
The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, found him guilty on six charges, including assigning mineral rights without regulatory approval and facilitating an unlicensed mining operation.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units, equivalent to GHS120,000.
Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional three-year prison term.
Leading the calls for clemency, former NPP Ashanti Regional Vice Chairman Kwabena Nsekyire urged President Mahama to exercise the constitutional prerogative of mercy.
According to Mr. Nsekyire, granting a pardon would reflect the President’s commitment to national unity and compassion.
He argued that such a gesture would resonate with the President’s public message of being a leader for all Ghanaians and would offer hope to party supporters who have been affected by the verdict.
The court’s decision also had an immediate impact on the NPP’s Ashanti Regional vetting process, which was underway at the Hasta Hotel in Kumasi when news of the judgement emerged.
Several party members reportedly became emotional after learning of the sentence.
Former Bosomtwe Constituency Chairman Aikins Addai Poku, who is contesting for the position of Ashanti Regional Second Vice Chairman, described the verdict as deeply painful, saying the atmosphere at the venue reflected the grief being experienced by party supporters.
The NPP Ashanti Regional Treasurer, Hajia Zainab Sallaw, also expressed shock at the outcome of the case.
