Witness tells court Samreboi concession was handed to him by Wontumi
Under cross-examination on 15 January 2026, Mr Okum was questioned by lawyers for Mr Boasiako, led by Andy Appiah Kubi, about whether he mined at Samreboi without a licence.
A small-scale miner has told the High Court in Accra that he was given access to a mining concession at Samreboi in Ghana’s Western Region by Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, widely known as Chairman Wontumi.
Henry Okum, appearing as the second prosecution witness, said he dealt directly with Mr Boasiako after the site was handed over to him for mining. He told the court the arrangement came with conditions, including reclaiming mined-out areas and covering pits to allow coconut planting.
Mr Boasiako, listed as the first accused, is standing trial alongside Kwame Antwi, a director of Akonta Mining who is currently said to be at large, and the company itself. The three face six charges, made up of three counts of assigning mineral rights without approval and three counts of deliberately facilitating an unlicensed mining operation. All have pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
The case is being heard by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay.
Under cross-examination on 15 January 2026, Mr Okum was questioned by lawyers for Mr Boasiako, led by Andy Appiah Kubi, about whether he mined at Samreboi without a licence. He rejected that claim, insisting he operated under Akonta Mining’s licence.
Mr Okum said he conducted due diligence at the Minerals Commission before moving onto the land, and was informed the concession belonged to Akonta Mining and that the company held a mining lease over the area. He told the court this information prompted him to approach Mr Boasiako to seek permission to work there.
He also claimed that, ahead of operations, a letter was sent to the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) on Akonta Mining letterhead and signed by Mr Boasiako, adding that he did not accept suggestions that the document was purely a corporate action separate from the alleged owner’s involvement.
The witness further described the concession as a previously worked site rather than untouched land, saying it contained numerous abandoned pits. He told the court that this background, and what he described as “illegalities” on the land, formed part of why he was instructed to undertake reclamation works before extracting gold-bearing gravel.
