South Dayi Member of Parliament and Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has rejected claims that the prosecution of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is politically motivated, arguing that the legal process began under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
Speaking to Channel One TV on Monday following Chairman Wontumi’s conviction in the Samreboi illegal mining case, Mr Dafeamekpor said the former governing party had already dissociated itself from the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman over his alleged involvement in illegal mining activities before the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumed office.
“The NPP government disowned him and said he was engaged in an illegality before the NDC came to power,” he stated.
According to the South Dayi MP, the origins of the case undermine suggestions that the prosecution was initiated for political reasons, stressing that the investigations and legal processes were set in motion while the NPP was still in government.
He maintained that the current administration merely inherited a case that had already been established under the previous government.
Mr Dafeamekpor’s remarks come after the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court convicted Chairman Wontumi over illegal mining activities on the concession of Akonta Mining Company Limited at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The conviction has triggered intense political debate, with the NPP describing the judgment as unjust and indicating that it will challenge both the conviction and the sentence at the Court of Appeal.
