Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bernard 'Wontumi' Antwi-Boasiako has been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment with hard labour over illegal mining-related offences.

Here is a simple breakdown of the case.

Who is Chairman Wontumi in the case?

Chairman Wontumi is the owner and controlling director of Akonta Mining Company, which was also implicated in the illegal mining case.

How did the case begin?

The prosecution's case followed a special anti-galamsey operation led by the Ghana Police Service at Somreboi in the Western Region in April 2025.

During the operation, 29 suspects were arrested.

What was Wontumi accused of?

The prosecution told the court that in 2024, Chairman Wontumi allowed Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi to mine on Akonta Mining's concession without the express written approval of the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources.

According to the prosecution, this amounted to offences under Ghana's mining laws.

What was Wontumi's defence?

Chairman Wontumi denied knowingly allowing illegal mining.

He argued that he did not know Henry Okum was a small-scale miner and said he had given the land to him for reclamation through coconut planting, not for mining.

The High Court rejected that explanation.

What offences was he convicted of?

The court found him guilty of six counts, including:

- Assigning a mining concession without the express approval of the sector minister.

- Purposefully facilitating illegal mining on a mining concession.

The offences fall under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995 of 2019.

Why was the sentence so long?

The law prescribes a custodial sentence of between 15 and 25 years for the offences.

The High Court sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years' imprisonment with hard labour on each count. However, the sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve 20 years in total, not 20 years for each count consecutively.

What evidence did the court rely on?

The Accra High Court said it relied largely on circumstantial evidence in reaching its decision.

The court also noted that the absence of the required ministerial approval for assigning the mining concession was never disputed during the trial.

What happens next?

Chairman Wontumi's legal team and the NPP have indicated that their immediate focus is to appeal the conviction and sentence.

Other legal options that have been discussed publicly include:

- Applying for bail pending appeal.

- Seeking a review of the judgment, where permitted by law.

- A presidential pardon, which some members of the NPP and some legal commentators have suggested.

For now, however, the conviction and the 20-year prison sentence remain in force unless overturned or varied through the legal process.