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Henry Okum, a small-scale miner, informed the Accra High Court that Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, gave him mining concessions in Samraboi in the Western Region.
The second prosecution witness, Henry Okum, stated that before Mr. Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, gave him the property, he gave him two tasks, one of which was to cover the mined area so that coconuts could be planted.
Regarding the Samraboi Concession, the witness informed the court, “I was the one that Chairman Wontumi handed the place over to, so I was dealing directly with Chairman Wontumi.”
Akonta Mining, the company itself (3rd Accused), Chairman Wontumi (1st Accused), and Kwame Antwi, a director of Akonta Mining (presently at large—2nd Accusad) are all on trial on six counts.
The charges included three counts of both intentionally assisting an unlawful mining business and assigning mineral rights without authorisation.
They are on trial before the High Court, which is chaired by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, after entering a not guilty plea and being granted bail.
On January 15, 2026, Henry Okum addressed the court under more cross-examination by Chairman Wontumi’s attorneys, led by Andy Appiah Kubi, regarding his licence status and how he obtained access to the Samreboi Concession from Chairman Wontumi, the owner of Akonta Mining.
The Witness disagreed with Wontumi’s attorney’s suggestion that he was mining at Samraboi without a licence. “Because the licence I was using there is (from) Akonta Mining,” he clarified, adding that “I went to the Minerals Commission to do a search about the area before I went to Samreboi.”
“The area belongs to Akonta Mining Company, and within the search, it also shows that Akonta Mining Company has a mining lease on the land, so that pushed me to go to Chairman to ask him whether I can work there,” he continued.
“The license I was using there is Akonta Mining license,” he explained.
In his testimony as the Second Prosecution Witness, Mr. Okum stated, “When you go to Samreboi, nobody knows Akonta Mining Board of Directors.” Despite not being a director or board member of Akonta Mining, he added, “What I know is that Chairman Wontumi owns Akonta Mining, and Akonta Mining is Chairman Wontumi.”
Prior to his trip to Samraboi, he informed the court that “Chairman Wontumi went to do the operation on the ground for me through the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), and the letter that we wrote to REGSEC was on Akonta Mining Letter Head and that was signed by Chairman Wontumi.”
The witness argued with the accused parties’ attorney that Akonta Mining, not Chairman Wontumi, was the author of the letter.
When asked if the concession he entered was a “land all virgin,” the witness responded no, stating that “the land was not virgin.”
“It was an already mined area, so there are a lot of abandoned pits on the land,” he added.
“That is why Chairman made me understand that there are illegalities on the land,” the witness stated, adding that “he had two things that I had to do for him if I wanted to go on the land to work.”
The witness informed the court that Chairman Wontumi first requested that I “cover the abandoned pit” and excavate the area, and that “the waste will be put at a certain area for me to have access to the gravel which contains the gold.”
Mr. Okum stated, “I had to push the waste from the pit before I can have access to a fresh land and work” regarding the mined region.
Additionally, the witness disagreed with counsel that Chairman Wontumi, the initial accused, had complained to REGSEC about illicit mining on that land.
“Because of the discussion that I had with Chairman (Wontumi), he also brought out that, these are the issues on the land, and so yes, it can be a factor,” he clarified. “It opens space for me to get access to the area and work because there are many Galamseyers on the land, and it will not make my work easy,” he added.
Source: newsthemegh.com
