An Accra High Court has set Monday, March 16, to rule on a submission of no case filed by lawyers for Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, in an ongoing trial over alleged illegal mining activities at Samreboi.
Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), together with two others, is standing trial for allegedly permitting mining operations on the Samreboi concession of Akonta Mining without the required authorisation.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons assigned mining rights on the concession to a third party without approval from the responsible ministry, contrary to Section 14 of the Minerals and Mining Act, which prohibits mining without lawful authority.
The court’s decision on the submission of no case will determine whether the charges against the accused will be dismissed or whether they will be required to open their defence.
Meanwhile, the court had earlier varied the bail conditions granted to Chairman Wontumi.
The judge explained that the court had initially delegated aspects of the bail supervision to the investigator, requiring periodic reports confirming that the accused remained within the jurisdiction. However, the investigator failed to comply with the directive.
Due to the persistent failure to file the required reports, the court decided to intervene by adjusting the reporting requirements rather than tightening the bail conditions or ordering the detention of the accused.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
