Lambert Appiah Rockson, popularly known as “Sir Cocroach” and former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma South, has asserted that the Accra High Court will fail to deliver its scheduled July 3 judgement on the high-profile Samreboi mining case.
The defendant in the matter, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako—the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP commonly known as Chairman Wontumi—was expected to know his fate on July 3, 2026, following the closure of the defense’s case last week.
The defense concluded its arguments after calling its final witness, Evans Addae, the Assembly Member for the Samreboi Atigarikrom Electoral Area in the Western Region.
Chairman Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining Limited, are currently standing trial over allegations of facilitating unauthorised mining activities within the Samreboi concession, a direct violation of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
The legal proceedings recently faced a hurdle when Wontumi’s lead counsel, Andy Appiah-Kubi, filed a motion seeking leave to withdraw his services. The court dismissed the application on the grounds that it lacked legal basis.
Consequently, Chairman Wontumi has appointed veteran lawmaker and lawyer Atta Akyea to take over his legal representation.
Although the presiding judge extended the deadline for filing final statements to June 30, the court has firmly maintained July 3 as the definitive date for judgement.
However, speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Lambert Appiah Rockson told Ghanaians to dismiss the scheduled date, arguing that a postponement is legally inevitable.
He explained that standard legal procedure grants an accused person the right to a fair trial, meaning a newly appointed counsel must be allocated a three-week grace period to fully internalize the case files.
For Wontumi, Rockson views this sudden change of representation as a blessing in disguise.
“The judge cannot deliver the final ruling on July 3. Mark it. The judge will not deliver any judgement because every citizen has the right to get a lawyer. Article 19 of the constitution clearly states it there that he needs a lawyer. Clause Section F further states that when the case is ongoing, the accused can change the lawyer if dissatisfied with the performance of the lawyer.
If Andy Appiah-Kubi is stepping out as a lawyer, Wontumi can now file that he is placing in a new counsel. Per the legal framework, when there is a new counsel, they are entitled to a two or three weeks grace period to familiarize themselves with the case and sometimes start proceedings again. So when this is clearly the case, the July 3 will not happen.”
Given the structural delay required for the new legal team to prepare, Rockson projected that the final judgement will likely be pushed back to October 2026.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
