Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is facing a fresh set of seven charges related to alleged illegal mining operations in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve in the Western Region.

This comes just hours after he appeared in a separate case earlier today, where he was placed on a stop list and granted GH₵15 million bail after pleading not guilty to six mining-related charges.

In this new case before the High Court, Wontumi, together with four others and his company, Akonta Mining Company Limited, faces accusations of unlawfully engaging in mining operations, environmental destruction, and obstruction of forestry officials.

• Read also: Wontumi placed on stop list after GH₵15m bail; pleads not guilty to 6 mining-related charges

Details of the charges

Count One: Undertaking a mining operation without a licence
Akonta Mining Company Limited is accused of carrying out mining activities in 2022 at Samreboi without a valid licence granted by the Minister, contrary to Section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995.

Count Two: Undertaking a mining operation without a licence
Chairman Wontumi and one Kwame Antwi (currently at large) allegedly conducted mining operations as owners and directors of Akonta Mining Company Limited in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve without authorisation.

Count Three: Undertaking a mining operation without a licence
The company’s General Manager, Edward Akuoku, and Operations Manager, Kwadwo Owusu Bempah (alias Sly, at large), are also accused of operating without the required licence within the forest reserve.

Count Four: Felling trees in a forest reserve without written authority
Akonta Mining Company Limited is charged with unlawfully felling more than 300 merchantable trees and numerous saplings in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Forest Protection Act, 1974 (NRCD 243), as amended by Act 624.

Count Five: Abetment of unauthorised felling of trees
Wontumi and three others are accused of aiding and facilitating the unauthorised felling of trees, in violation of the Forest Protection Act and Section 20(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

Count Six: Erecting buildings in a forest reserve without written authority
Akonta Mining Company Limited is further accused of putting up structures in the forest reserve without prior approval, contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of NRCD 243, as amended.

Count Seven: Abetment of unauthorised erection of buildings in a forest reserve
Wontumi, along with the same co-accused, is alleged to have facilitated the construction of buildings in the forest reserve without written authority from the competent forest authority.

Fact of the case

According to court documents, Akonta Mining Company Limited was incorporated in 2010 with Wontumi and Kwame Antwi (currently at large) listed as its shareholders and directors.

Investigations, however, revealed that Wontumi has since exercised absolute control over the company’s operations.

In August 2022, after the Ministry refused Akonta Mining’s request for a mining permit in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve, forestry officials later discovered dozens of excavators branded with the company’s logo actively mining inside the reserve.

The illegal operations allegedly caused severe environmental destruction, including the pollution of the Tano River, the loss of vegetation, and the felling of hundreds of trees across an estimated 13 hectares of forest land.

Investigators also detailed a violent confrontation between the company’s armed personnel and a team from the Forestry Commission who had attempted to seize mining equipment at the site. The officials were reportedly forced to return the seized items before being allowed to leave.

Following extensive investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Wontumi and two other suspects were arrested and charged. Two other accused persons remain at large.

The case is expected to continue this afternoon as the prosecution presents its evidence against the accused.