Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has appealed his conviction in the Samreboi illegal mining case, asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the entire judgment delivered by the Accra High Court.
The appeal, filed jointly 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 drew widespread public attention because it centred on allegations of illegal mining activities involving Akonta Mining Company Limited, a company linked to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Following the conviction and the sanctions imposed by the High Court, the appellants filed a Notice of Appeal, stating that they are dissatisfied with the decision and are seeking to have the judgment set aside in its entirety.
In the appeal, the appellants contend that the convictions are unreasonable and unsupported by the evidence presented during the trial.
They further argue that the trial judge failed to properly interpret the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended.
According to the Notice of Appeal, “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 also argue that the trial judge exceeded the jurisdiction of the High Court by interpreting constitutional provisions that they say fall exclusively within the authority of the Supreme Court.
They specifically contend 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 for hearing the appeal, where Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining Company Limited will seek to have the High Court’s conviction and judgment overturned.
