The Chairman of the UK and Ireland branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Andy Owusu, has described the incarceration of Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, as pure “political card playing.”
According to him, the prosecution and subsequent incarceration of Chairman Wontumi represent a clear case of selective justice.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr. Owusu clarified that he does not condone wrongdoing or any activities that destroy forest reserves, pollute water bodies, or endanger human lives.
However, he insisted that law enforcement efforts targeting illegal mining (galamsey) must be applied fairly and without political bias.
“I am fully in support of a fair delivery of justice against anyone who breaks the law,” he told host Kwabena Agyapong. “However, when authorities aggressively target political opponents for suspected wrongdoing while ignoring NDC members engaged in the same acts, it becomes a clear case of selective justice.”
He alleged that several high-ranking members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) are key figures in the illegal mining industry but enjoy immunity simply because their party is in power.
He further referenced recent admissions by President John Dramani Mahama, noting that the President himself publicly acknowledged the involvement of some of his own appointees and government members in galamsey activities, yet no decisive legal action has been taken against them.
Mr. Owusu maintained that fighting galamsey requires a uniform and non-partisan approach rather than using state machinery to settle political scores.
On Monday, 20 July 2026, an Accra High Court convicted the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), and his firm, Akonta Mining Limited, sentencing Wontumi to 20 years in prison.
Justice Kocuvie-Tay found both guilty under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703, as amended by Act 995) on counts including assigning mineral rights without ministerial approval and facilitating illegal mining operations.
The court rejected defence pleas for leniency based on Wontumi’s first-offender status, as well as arguments that land was merely being reclaimed rather than mined.
Justice Kocuvie-Tay pierced Akonta Mining’s corporate veil, ruling that the company operated without a functional board and under Wontumi’s sole control. Establishing Wontumi as the de facto controller, the court noted he personally facilitated equipment acquisition for unauthorized mining.
In addition to Wontumi’s custodial sentence, the court imposed fines of 10,000 penalty units per count on Wontumi and 15,000 penalty units per count on Akonta Mining Limited.
Reacting to the situation, he stated:”Let me place on record that any activity that leads to the wanton destruction of our vegetation and our environment should be condemned in totality, without any reservations or exceptions. Our forebears fought to preserve these natural resources for us, and it is our duty to do the same. Our water bodies are polluted, and it is deeply painful that despite having laws in place, these atrocities continue.
However, the question is: is Chairman Wontumi the only one involved in illegal activities? If he has done something wrong, he is certainly not above reproach or the law. The law must be applied firmly and decisively. But he is by no means the only culprit. What do we see every day? In broad daylight, right in front of the police, people are actively engaged in galamsey. NDC members are heavily involved as key kingpins, yet they go unpunished.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
