Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has denounced the 20-year prison sentence handed to its Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as “Chairman Wontumi”, following his conviction for illegal mining offences. The sentence includes hard labour.
Boasiako was found guilty of granting mineral rights without authorization and enabling unlicensed mining through his company, Akonta Mining. He is the first senior Ghanaian politician convicted since the government launched its crackdown on illegal mining in 2017.
The NPP, which says the ruling was politically motivated, has vowed to appeal. Environmental campaigners, however, have welcomed the conviction as a significant step toward holding influential figures responsible for illegal mining, an activity blamed for extensive environmental destruction across Ghana.
