Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has formally appealed his conviction in the high-profile Samreboi illegal mining case.
He is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the entire judgment delivered by the High Court.
The appeal, jointly filed by Mr Boasiako and Akonta Mining Company Limited, follows their conviction by the Accra High Court (Criminal Division 4), presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, on July 20, 2026.
The case attracted significant public attention because it involved allegations of illegal mining activities linked to Akonta Mining Company Limited, a firm associated with the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Following the conviction, the court imposed sanctions against the accused, prompting the latest legal challenge.
In a Notice of Appeal, the 1st and 3rd accused persons stated that they are dissatisfied with the High Court’s decision and are seeking to have the judgment set aside.
The appellants indicated that they are challenging the “entire judgment of the Court.”
Among the grounds of appeal, they argue that the convictions “are unreasonable and cannot be supported having regard to the evidence adduced at the trial.”
They also contend that the trial judge failed to properly interpret the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
According to the notice, “The learned trial judge did not read the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended, as a whole. The combined effect of sections 13(8) and 46 of the said Act is exculpatory of the 1st and 3rd Appellants and consistent with their innocence.”
The appellants further argue that the trial judge exceeded the court’s jurisdiction by interpreting constitutional provisions that they believe fall exclusively within the remit of the Supreme Court.
Specifically, they state that “The learned trial Judge usurped the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in flagrant contravention of Article 130(1)(a) and (2) of the Constitution 1992 in interpreting Article 19(11) of the Constitution set against sections 14(1), 59, 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended by Section 3 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2019 (Act 995), as clear, when both parties have rival meanings on the words ‘unless the offence is defined … in a written law’.”
The Court of Appeal is expected to fix a date to hear the appeal, where Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining Company Limited will
