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Former lead counsel for Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, has dismissed claims that his former client’s conviction was politically motivated.
According to Appiah-Kubi, the evidence presented before the court did not contain any political elements that would suggest the trial was influenced by Wontumi’s political affiliation.
His comments follow claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership, particularly General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong, who described Wontumi as a political prisoner after his conviction.
Speaking on TV3’s The KeyPoints programme on Saturday, July 25, 2026, Appiah-Kubi said he did not see any political interference in the court records, although he maintained that the judgement was not supported by the evidence presented.
“I didn’t see any politics in the records,” he said, adding that he believes the evidence on record could not justify the verdict.
The former Asante Akyem North Member of Parliament expressed confidence that the conviction could be overturned through the ongoing appeal process.
Chairman Wontumi was convicted and sentenced by the High Court on Monday, July 20, 2026, alongside his company, Akonta Mining Limited, after being found guilty on six counts related to the assignment of mineral rights without ministerial approval and facilitating unlicensed mining activities.
The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, sentenced Wontumi to a prison term and fined him GH¢120,000, with a default sentence of three years imprisonment. Akonta Mining Limited was also fined GH¢180,000 on two counts.
The court ruled that the prosecution had proven that Wontumi and his company allowed mining activities on their concession without the required approval from the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
However, Wontumi maintained that he only gave Henry Okoom permission to reclaim degraded land by planting coconut and was unaware that mining activities were taking place.
The court rejected his explanation, ruling that the evidence showed he knowingly allowed mining operations to continue.
Meanwhile, the NPP has announced plans to appeal the conviction, insisting that Wontumi’s trial was politically motivated.
Story by Efua Nessa