Former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, has cautioned government appointees to exercise greater care in the discharge of their duties following the conviction and sentencing of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Speaking on Peace FM’s *Kokrokoo* programme, Mr. Mireku Duker described the judgment as a stark reminder that public officials could face severe legal consequences if found to have breached the law.
“We need to be careful in how we are doing our things,” he said. “I cry for those who have been employed in this government for their future. I am sad for them because if it’s Wontumi today, tomorrow it can be them.”
Mr. Duker expressed concern that the ruling could have wider implications for political office holders, particularly if convictions are secured on what he described as circumstantial evidence.
“If someone can be jailed based on circumstantial evidence, know that it can happen to you too. I hope the Court of Appeal will interpret this and prove to us that this is what the law says on the matter of being proven beyond reasonable doubt,” he stated.
His comments follow the conviction of Chairman Wontumi by an Accra High Court over illegal mining activities linked to Akonta Mining Company Limited.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, presiding over Criminal Court 4, sentenced Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after finding him guilty of illegally permitting unlicensed mining operations on the company’s mining concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The court also convicted Akonta Mining Company Limited on all charges, while the company’s co-director, Kwame Antwi, who remains at large, was tried in absentia.
The conviction has generated widespread political and legal debate, with the NPP indicating that it intends to challenge the High Court’s decision at the Court of Appeal.
