Former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has extended an apology to President John Dramani Mahama and First Lady Lordina Mahama, while appealing for clemency following his conviction in an illegal mining case.
The apology, disclosed by his spokesperson, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, comes as Wontumi serves a 20-year prison sentence with hard labour after being found guilty of offences linked to illegal mining activities in the Samreboi Forest.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News, Boakye-Danquah said the apology was offered in recognition that some comments made by Wontumi during the 2024 election campaign may have exceeded acceptable political discourse.
He said the former NPP regional chairman regretted any offensive remarks directed at President Mahama and the First Lady, stressing that they were never intended to cause personal offence.
Boakye-Danquah appealed to President Mahama to consider exercising his constitutional prerogative of mercy, describing the apology as an effort to promote reconciliation.
He, however, rejected suggestions that the gesture amounted to an admission that politics influenced Wontumi’s prosecution or conviction.
According to him, the apology was motivated by a desire to foster national unity and encourage reconciliation rather than to imply any political interference in the judicial process.
Chairman Wontumi was convicted by the Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court after being found guilty on six counts relating to illegal mining operations.
He was prosecuted alongside Akonta Mining Limited and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, over activities on the company’s mining concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The prosecution argued that the accused unlawfully transferred mineral rights on the concession without the approval of the sector minister and facilitated mining activities without the required legal authorisation, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act.
Following the conviction, Wontumi’s legal team announced plans to appeal the judgment while also exploring avenues for bail pending appeal. His latest apology now adds a new dimension to efforts aimed at securing clemency as he continues to serve his prison sentence.
