Court to rule on Wontumi’s bail application pending appeal of 20-year jail sentence on November 4
The High Court in Accra is set to rule on November 4 regarding a bail application for Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, who is appealing a 20-year sentence for illegal mining. The prosecution opposes the bail, citing flight risk and pending criminal trials.
Why it matters
This case highlights legal proceedings regarding high-profile political figures and the enforcement of environmental mining laws in Ghana.
The High Court in Accra will on November 4, 2026, rule on an application by the convicted former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, alias Chairman Wontumi, for bail pending appeal against his 20-year jail term in the Samreboi illegal mining case.
The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tey, fixed the date after hearing arguments from counsel for Antwi-Boasiako, Samuel Atta Akyea, and the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, who opposed the application.
Mr Atta Akyea argued that the appeal had substantial prospects of success and that his client needed to be released to assist in preparing and prosecuting it.
However, Dr Srem-Sai submitted that no exceptional circumstances had been established to warrant bail, adding that the applicant posed a flight risk because he was facing two other criminal trials.
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