The Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ing. Ken Ashigbey, has expressed support for the prison term handed to Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case.
His remarks come after the High Court handed Chairman Wontumi a 20-year jail term on each of the two counts he was found guilty of.
The terms will run at the same time. The court also imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units on each count. Akonta Mining Limited, which was also found guilty on two counts, was fined 15,000 penalty units per count.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay convicted Wontumi on Counts One and Four, while Akonta Mining Limited was convicted on Counts Three and Six, after concluding that the prosecution had established all the key elements of the offences beyond reasonable doubt.
Speaking with Nana Tuffour Boateng on Channel One TV, Ing. Ashigbey, a vocal campaigner against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, said the ruling would send a strong signal to others engaged in the act.
“I’m happy that this case has gone its full circle. I would have wished that the learned judge would have given 25 years plus the maximum fine, but 20 years is good enough. Yes, it’s punitive enough, but not enough,” he said.
He said he hopes other persons implicated in illegal mining will also be made to face the same level of punishment, including the highest prison terms and financial penalties. Ing. Ashigbey called on the Mahama government to make sure that everyone found guilty of illegal mining is dealt with fairly and equally by the law.
“Other kingpins should be made to face justice,” he suggested. The guilty verdicts came after the court rejected a late request by the defence team to postpone judgment and send constitutional matters to the Supreme Court for interpretation. The application, submitted on July 16, 2026, argued that issues raised in the defence’s written submissions needed the apex court’s interpretation.
But Justice Kocuvie-Tay ruled that Section 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), was clear and did not contradict Article 19(11) of the 1992 Constitution.
