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Lawyers for Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, have filed an application at the High Court seeking bail for him while his appeal against his conviction and sentence is being determined.
The legal team from Zoe, Akyea and Co. is asking the court to grant Wontumi temporary freedom as the Court of Appeal considers his challenge against the 20-year prison sentence handed to him over illegal mining activities at Samreboi.
In the motion filed before the court, the lawyers argued that their client should be admitted to bail pending the outcome of the appeal. The application is supported by an affidavit outlining the grounds for the request.
The filing states that the court is being moved “to admit the Applicant, who is currently incarcerated at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, to bail pending appeal” and for any other orders the court may consider appropriate.
The application represents the latest legal move by Wontumi’s lawyers to secure his release after his conviction.
The High Court is expected to assess whether the applicant has met the legal requirements for bail pending appeal before making a determination.
Chairman Wontumi’s conviction has generated widespread public and political interest, with the case emerging as one of the most closely watched prosecutions linked to illegal mining activities in Ghana.
Story by Efua Nessa