Chairman Wontumi, born Bernard Antwi Boasiako, departing the Accra High Court on Jan 12 after the court adjourned the case to February 17 due to the Attorney-General’s filing of additional documents. While fifth accused, Kwadwo Owusu Bempah granted bail.
Accra, Ghana- After appearing before the Accra High Court on charges linked to unlawful activities in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, Kwadwo Owusu Bempah, the General Manager of Akonta Mining Company, has been granted bail.
The court set the bail at GHC10 million, requiring three sureties. Notably, one surety has to be justified.
Kwadwo Owusu Bempah and four others, including NPP Ashanti Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), are charged with illegal mining and unauthorized development in the forest reserve.
Prosecutors told the court that the company and its agents are alleged to have engaged in mining operations within the forest reserve, felled trees without authorization, and erected structures on the concession without authorization.
Lawyers for the fifth accused, Kwadwo Owusu Bempah, said he turned himself in to the police weeks earlier after seeing his name listed as “at large” on a circulating charge sheet. His counsel, Andrew Vortia, explained that his client was not attempting to evade arrest. According to him, Owusu voluntarily reported to the Police Headquarters after being alerted by a friend. “He was interrogated, his statement taken, and he was cautioned on three counts, and the police admitted him to bail,” Vortia said, adding that his client later missed a scheduled reporting date because he was hospitalized.
“Because he had breached the previous reporting, they are taking him to court today,” he told journalists.
The state of river bodies in Ghana due to illegal mining activities.
The defense lawyer said Owusu has a long-standing spinal condition dating back to a 2002 accident that required medical attention. He further stated that the four-day delay in reporting was not deliberate and that the medical documents had been submitted to the investigators. “He pleaded not guilty on all three counts, and he was admitted to bail with the sum of 10 million cedis with three sureties, one to be justified,” Vortia added.
The court ordered that the accused persons return for trial while investigations continue.
The Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve case has drawn national scrutiny as Ghana steps up enforcement against illegal mining activities known locally as galamsey which continue to threaten protected forests, rivers, and wildlife in several regions.
The substantive trial is expected to proceed early next year.
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