Hardwood timber The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Wontumi, has applied to the High Court for bail pending the determination of his appeal against his conviction. The application, filed on August 5, 2026, states that Wontumi is currently being held at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons. His lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea of Zoe, Akyea & Co., filed the Notice of Motion, relying on Section 96(1) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), and Section 33(1) of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459). The application is seeking his release from custody while the appeal against his conviction is being considered by the court. The application prays the court to admit Wontumi to bail pending the hearing and determination of his appeal, relying on the grounds set out in an accompanying affidavit. The case is titled The Republic v.
Bernard Antwi Boasiako @ Wontumi, Kwame Antwi (at large), and Akonta Mining Company Limited, with Wontumi listed as the first appellant/applicant and Akonta Mining Company Limited as the third appellant. The application has been scheduled to be moved before the High Court, Criminal Division ‘4’ in Accra on August 19, 2026. Copies of the application have been served on the Office of the Attorney-General as the respondent, as well as the Director of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons. The High Court is expected to decide whether Chairman Wontumi should be granted bail while his appeal against his conviction is pending.
Wontumi was sentenced to 20 years in prison after Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court found him guilty on all six charges brought against him. He was prosecuted alongside Akonta Mining Limited and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, over alleged illegal mining activities on the company’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region. The prosecution argued that the accused unlawfully assigned mineral rights on the concession without the required approval from the sector minister and facilitated mining activities without the necessary authorisation, in breach of provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act. With his conviction now under appeal, Wontumi is asking the court to release him on bail while the legal process runs its course.