The High Court in Accra has moved to fast-track the ongoing illegal mining trial involving Bernard Antwi Boasiako, giving the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) a final deadline to strengthen his defence before the case moves toward judgment.
Presiding Judge Audrey Cocuvie-Tay directed lawyers for Chairman Wontumi to file any additional witnesses by May 28, warning that failure to do so would lead to the closure of the defence case.
The ruling came after Wontumi concluded his testimony on Friday, May 22, 2026, in the high-profile case centred on alleged unauthorised mining activities on his Samreboi concession.
Once the defence closes, the court is expected to proceed to final legal arguments before delivering judgment in a case that has drawn national attention amid Ghana’s broader crackdown on illegal mining activities.
Wontumi and his company are accused of unlawfully permitting one Henry Okum to undertake mining operations on the concession without the required approvals.
According to prosecutors, Okum mined portions of the concession and used proceeds from the operations to finance reclamation of degraded land.
The prosecution argues that the arrangement effectively amounted to an unlawful transfer or assignment of mining rights.
In an earlier ruling ordering Wontumi to open his defence, the court held that prosecutors had established a prima facie case linking him to the activities carried out on the concession.
Justice Cocuvie-Tay noted that the absence of evidence showing direct payment for reclamation works strengthened the prosecution’s claim that mining activities may have been authorised as part of the arrangement.
The defence, however, has challenged that interpretation, insisting that Ghana’s Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) and Legislative Instrument 2176 permit lease holders to engage service providers without transferring mineral rights.
Lawyers for Wontumi maintain that the arrangement with Henry Okum was strictly for land reclamation and coconut planting, not illegal mining.
The court’s latest directive now places pressure on the defence team to decide quickly whether to introduce more witnesses or allow the matter to proceed to its final stages.
The case has been adjourned to May 28 for compliance with the court’s orders.
