Lawyers for Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and Akonta Mining Company Limited have filed an application at the High Court seeking a deferment of judgment in the ongoing Akonta Mining criminal case.
Court documents filed at the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra show that the application was submitted on June 23, 2026, by lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea on behalf of the first and third accused persons in the case titled The Republic v. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Kwame Antwi and Akonta Mining Company Limited.
The High Court in Accra is set to deliver its judgement in the case on July 3, 2026.
However, the motion filed requests the court to postpone the delivery of judgment for what the applicants describe as a reasonable period to allow newly appointed counsel adequate time to study the case.
According to the application, the new legal team intends to obtain and review the certified records of proceedings and all documents filed in the matter before preparing a comprehensive written submission on behalf of the accused persons.
The motion argues that access to the records is necessary to enable counsel to make a credible and competent presentation of the defence’s position before judgment is delivered.
Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Wontumi, is the first accused person, Kwame Antwi, who is currently at large, is the second accused person, and Akonta Mining Company Limited is the third accused person in the case.
The application is expected to be moved before the High Court at a date to be determined by the court.
The Attorney-General has been served with the application and is expected to respond before the court decides whether to grant the request for a postponement of judgment.
On June 15, 2026 Wontumi appointed Samuel Atta Akyea, as his new lead defence counsel in the criminal case pending before the High Court in Accra.
The appointment comes days after the court rejected an application by his former lead counsel, lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi, to withdraw from representing him in the ongoing proceedings.
In a statement, Mr Boasiako said the decision was taken after careful consultation and in exercise of his constitutional right to legal representation of his own choosing.
He said the appointment was intended to ensure that his defence was presented fully, effectively and in accordance with the law.
Mr Boasiako also expressed appreciation to his previous legal team for their services and commitment throughout the proceedings.
Wontumi, owner of Akonta Mining Company Limited, was hauled before two separate High Courts in October 2025 on different illegal mining-related offences.
In the first case, the prosecution accused him and his company of permitting two persons to undertake mining operations on his Samreboi concession without obtaining approval from the sector minister, slapping him with two counts of assignment of mineral rights without approval and two counts of facilitating an unlicensed mining operation.
The Attorney-General filed six criminal charges against the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, his company Akonta Mining, and one other individual identified as Kwame Antwi, a Director of Akonta Mining, who is currently at large.
According to the charge sheet, Wontumi and his company allowed two men — Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi to mine on Akonta’s concession at Samreboi without ministerial approval and without holding a mining licence.
Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi were arrested following a special anti-galamsey operation in April 2025, which led to the arrest of 29 people and the seizure of mining equipment and weaponry.
