Chairman Wontumi apologises to President Mahama, seeks clemency
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi and the former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has apologised to President John Dramani Mahama and First Lady Lordina Mahama for any offensive remarks he made about them during the campaign leading up to the 2024 general election.
The apology comes while Wontumi is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted over illegal mining activities linked to the Samreboi Forest.
“The first call is to render an apology, and I think that is important. Former Chairman renders an apology to him if, at some stage, the conversations went overboard, which was never intended,” Boakye-Danquah stated.
He, however, clarified that the apology should not be interpreted as an acknowledgment that political disagreements between Wontumi and President Mahama had any bearing on the court proceedings that led to the conviction.
“Not at all. We are aware that in this country there are influences. If you are able to identify those influences and begin making amends, I think we build a better society for all of us to live in,” he added.
Boakye-Danquah maintained that the appeal for forgiveness was intended solely to promote national unity and reconciliation, not to suggest that political factors influenced Wontumi’s prosecution or sentencing.
Chairman Wontumi was sentenced to 20 years in prison after Criminal Court 4 of the High Court found him guilty on all six charges brought against him.
He, together with Akonta Mining Limited and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, was prosecuted over alleged illegal mining operations on the company’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
According to prosecutors, the accused unlawfully transferred mineral rights on the concession without obtaining the required approval from the sector minister and facilitated mining activities without the necessary authorisation, in violation of the Minerals and Mining Act.
