A Ghanaian High Court has sentenced Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years in prison with hard labour for illegal mining.
Wontumi is a prominent businessman and chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region, the party's traditional stronghold.
The verdict
The court found Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining, guilty of illegally mining inside a forest reserve near Samreboi in Ghana's Western Region.
Judge Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ruled that Wontumi had unlawfully transferred mineral rights without approval from Ghana's sector minister. He was also found guilty of facilitating unlicensed mining operations, breaching the country's Minerals and Mining Act.
