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Lawyers of Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, have expressed disappointment at the Attorney-General’s dropping of charges against the General Manager of Akonta Mining after he offered to testify against their client.
Edward Akuoko, the former fourth accused person, together with Wontumi, was facing multiple charges undertaking a mining operation without a licence, felling and abetting the felling of trees in a forest reserve without written authorisation.
Lead counsel for Wontumi, Andy Appiah-Kubi, speaking to journalists after proceedings on Tuesday, indicated that the Attorney-General ought to play his role as a Minister of Justice.
“The Attorney-General is also Minister for Justice. His role as Minister for Justice is even more important than that of the Attorney-General. If Attorney-General, with all the resources and materials available to him, thinks it is just for him to rely on a former accused person to prosecute a matter against one of the accused persons and he thinks that justice will not be undermined, that is his decision,” he noted.
“The way the Attorney-General appears to be poaching his own accused persons suggests that there is intent to undermine the course of justice. We will resist the oppressor’s rule,” Appiah Kubi concluded.
Chairman Wontumi has been charged with different illegal mining-related offences at the High Court in Accra and has been granted bail.
At the Criminal Court 4 presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, the prosecution prayed for a short adjournment on Tuesday, November 4, to serve the lawyers of Chairman Wontumi with disclosures.
The case has since been adjourned to November 12 for continuation.
At the Criminal Court 1, where Wontumi is facing multiple charges of mining without a license and felling of trees in a forest reserve, the case has been adjourned to December 4.
