The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame says he is yet to be served with a docket on investigations into alleged illegal mining activities of Akonta Mining, said to be owned by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party.

The A-G expressed his commitment to prosecuting individuals involved in illegal mining activities, citing instances where his office has successfully prosecuted and subsequently imprisoned some Chinese nationals for their offenses.

“There has been the jailing of various Chinese nationals by the Tarkwa Circuit Court. We had two Chinese nationals thrown in for 25 years. The law and legal regimes request that if a foreigner is engaged in such activities, the minimum penalty is a punishment of 20 years and for a Ghanaian, 15 years minimum in jail.”

His comment was in response to allegations that his office has failed to prosecute the alleged illegal mining activities of Akonta Mining Limited belonging to the NPP chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, which was captured on video in a forest reserve mining.

In June 2023, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police began investigations following a petition filed by the Media Coalition Against Galamsey after claims that Akonta Mining had entered the Tano Nimiri forest reserve in the Western Region and was mining. 

According to the Ministry, even though Akonta Mining Limited had a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, outside the Forest Reserve, the company had no right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. 

But speaking to JoyNews, the Attorney General said that his office has not received any evidence of wrongdoing in the alleged illegal mining activities.

“I have not seen any video. I think that if indeed there is such a video, then it will be, with due respect, a little bit irresponsible on the part of the media, for they not even furnishing me with the video.

“And the last time I was actually speaking on the matter on JoyFM, I indicated that no docket had been presented to me in respect of Akonta Mining and indeed, the gentleman who was speaking - all the panellists actually confirmed that his information was wrong,” he said.