Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a private legal practitioner and social activist, has queried when the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, commonly known as Chairman Wontumi, will be charged.
Vormawor asked whether Chairman Wontumi’s arrest was for ‘shege’ reasons since he is yet to be charged.
Vormawor in a post on X wrote, “ So when is Wontumi getting charged? Or the arrest was for Shege reasons?”.
Wontumi’s Akonta Mining Limited has been accused of undertaking mining operations without a licence, polluting water bodies, and entering a forest reserve without authorisation.
The Lands Minister, in a press conference some months ago, stated that interviews conducted with a few residents indicate that the modus operandi of Akonta Mining is to use force to enter and destroy even the farmlands and produce of poor farmers in the area.
He stated, “Armed with this intel, on the eve of Good Friday (17th April 2025), an intelligence-led operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission led to the raid of six illegal mining sites linked to Akonta Mining”.
“ Armed with this intel, on the eve of Good Friday (17th April 2025), an intelligence-led operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission led to the raid of six illegal mining sites linked to Akonta Mining”.
In addition, Ghana Coalition against Galamsey is mounting pressure on the Mahama government to urgently prosecute Chairman Wontumi’s Akonta Mining Ltd and guilty government officials over illegal mining in forest reserves and rivers.
According to the Coalition against Galamsey, they were assured of swift action, yet no arrest has been effected, nor prosecution.
Also, Wontumi was arrested by EOCO following a visit to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters on Tuesday, May 27, shortly after leaving the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Accra.
Justice Srem-Sai also revealed that Wontumi is also being investigated for an International organised crime scheme.
The Deputy Attorney General noted that EOCO is assiduously working with our international law enforcement partners on the second strand of criminal investigations.
According to Justice Srem-Sai, the ongoing investigation is being handled by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), with asset recovery efforts already underway to secure suspected proceeds of crime.
However, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, the Member of Parliament for Effiduase Asokore, some months ago claimed the arrest of NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Chairman Wontumi, is not ordinary.
The lawmaker asserted that there is a greater hand at play concerning Wontumi’s arrest.
Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie is quoted by GHONE TV to have stated, “Wontumi’s arrest is not ordinary, there’s a greater hand at play”.
See the post below:
So when is Wontumi getting charged?
Or the arrest was for Shege reasons?
— Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor (@barkervogues) July 20, 2025
