The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, accompanied by his lawyer, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has arrived at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra today, Monday, October 6, 2025, for his charges to be read to him following the alleged involvement of his company, Akonta Mining Limited, in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).
The development follows a directive by the Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, who on Friday, October 3, 2025, announced that Chairman Wontumi should report to the CID on Monday or face arrest.
Earlier, the Director-General of the CID, DCOP Lydia Yaako Donkor, disclosed that investigations into the operations of Akonta Mining, owned by Chairman Wontumi, were ongoing. She also confirmed that another person had been arrested in connection with the matter.
Providing updates on the case at a press briefing in Accra on June 30, DCOP Donkor explained that Wontumi had previously visited the CID multiple times as part of the investigations but had recently delayed a scheduled appearance due to ill health, supported by a medical report submitted by his lawyer.
Chairman Wontumi first appeared before the CID on Monday, May 26, 2025, as part of ongoing investigations into Akonta Mining’s operations. On that occasion, he was accompanied by his legal counsel, former Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame, and Andy Appiah-Kubi, the former Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North.
Wontumi has consistently denied any involvement in illegal mining and has maintained that his company operates within the law. Following directives from the Forestry Commission to halt Akonta Mining’s activities, he stated that he was willing to allow the legal process to take its course.
