The Accra High Court has dismissed a “no case” submission filed by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, ordering him to open his defence in a high-profile illegal mining trial.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, effectively means the prosecution has established sufficient evidence to require a formal response from the accused.
Chairman Wontumi, alongside Akonta Mining Company Limited and director Kwame Antwi, faces six counts related to alleged violations of the Minerals and Mining Act.
The core of the state’s case involves alleged mining activities on the company’s concession in Samreboi without the requisite ministerial approval, as well as operating outside the specific permits granted by the sector minister.
This includes accusations of permitting third parties to undertake mineral operations on land reserved for the company without the legal assignment of those rights.
The legal team for the accused, led by Andy Appiah Kubi, had earlier argued that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to link their clients to the alleged crimes.
They contended that the state’s witnesses had not proven the elements of the charges under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Act.
However, the court disagreed and in her ruling, Justice Kocuvie-Tay stated that the evidence presented by the prosecution, which included testimonies from four witnesses, was credible enough to warrant a full trial.
”The accused persons must now explain their side of the story regarding the activities on the Samreboi concession,” the court noted.
This case has been a focal point of the national conversation on “Galamsey” (illegal mining), as Akonta Mining has frequently been cited in reports concerning environmental degradation in forest reserves.
By ordering the defence to open, the court has moved the trial into its final phase.
Chairman Wontumi and his co-accused are expected to testify and present their own witnesses to refute the state’s claims.
By 1960news.com
