The prosecution has closed its case in the criminal trial of former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, and two others over alleged illegal mining in the Tano-Nimire Forest Reserve.
The Republic closed its case before the Accra Criminal Court after calling three prosecution witnesses, comprising two former employees of Akonta Mining Company Limited and a detective of the Ghana Police Service.The prosecution told the court that the two former employees gave evidence linking Mr. Antwi-Boasiako to alleged mining operations undertaken by the company within the protected reserve. The police investigator also tendered in evidence drone footage, other audio-visual materials, and official correspondence to corroborate the testimony of the former employees.
According to the prosecution, the accused persons, under cross-examination, attempted to disassociate themselves from mining activities in the Tano-Nimire Forest Reserve.Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, counsel for the accused persons prayed the court to grant leave to recall the first prosecution witness (PW1) for further cross-examination.The court has ordered the defence to file a formal application for recall on or before Friday, October 30th. The case has been adjourned to November 4th, 2026, for hearing of the said application.The accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the substantive allegations are yet to be determined by the court.
