The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, appeared in court on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, for the first time since receiving a 20-year prison sentence in a separate case.
Wontumi, who is currently serving the sentence, was escorted to court by officers of the Ghana Prisons Service for proceedings in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve illegal mining case.
He appeared in a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers.
The High Court, presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, adjourned proceedings to July 31, the final day of the 2025/2026 legal year.
Wontumi is standing trial alongside Akonta Mining Limited, Kwame Antwi and Owusu Bempah over alleged illegal mining activities in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western North Region.
Chief Inspector Eugene Akpor Glover, the investigator in the case and the prosecution’s third witness, was present in court. He is currently undergoing cross-examination by the defence.
Akonta Mining faces additional charges relating to the alleged unauthorised felling of trees and erection of buildings within the forest reserve.
Wontumi, meanwhile, faces two counts of allegedly abetting the unauthorised felling of trees in the reserve under the Forest Protection Act and the Criminal Offences Act.
All the accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges and were previously granted bail.
The Tano Nimiri proceedings are among the other cases involving Wontumi following the conclusion of the Samreboi case, which resulted in his 20-year prison sentence.
He is also facing a separate case involving the Ghana EXIM Bank. He is expected to return to court in that matter on July 27 after negotiations between the parties ended without an agreement.
