Wontumi given one last chance to file defence in Samreboi mining trial
Chairman Wontumi, as the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman is widely known, now has until 5 May 2026 to submit those statements, with the next case management conference fixed for 7 May.
The High Court has refused to pause the Samreboi illegal mining case against Bernard Antwi Bosiako and has instead given him one final deadline to file witness statements if he intends to call evidence in his defence.
Chairman Wontumi, as the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman is widely known, now has until 5 May 2026 to submit those statements, with the next case management conference fixed for 7 May.
The latest direction followed his failure to comply with an earlier court order requiring him to file by 14 April.
When the case was called on Monday, 20 April, his lawyers told the court that they had lodged yet another application at the Court of Appeal seeking a stay of proceedings and therefore wanted the High Court matter adjourned until the appellate court rules.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay was not persuaded and declined to halt the case.
Her ruling means the trial will continue despite the pending application at the Court of Appeal.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem-Sai, opposed the defence request and argued that the repeated stay applications were simply being used to slow down the proceedings. He maintained that another application at the Court of Appeal does not automatically stop the trial and urged the court to move forward.
Wontumi is standing trial over allegations that mining activity was permitted on the Akonta Mining concession in Samreboi without the approval of the sector minister.
After the prosecution closed its case, the court rejected his submission of no case and directed him to open his defence. He was then informed of the options available to him, including giving evidence himself, calling witnesses, or making an unsworn statement.
The original date set for his witness statements was 16 March 2026, but instead of filing them, he challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal and also sought to stop the trial court from proceeding.
That effort failed, leading to the second deadline of 14 April, which was also not met.
The court has now made it clear that the defence must decide whether it intends to present evidence, while the case continues on its current track.
