The Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly criticised the conviction and 20-year prison sentence handed to New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, describing the judgment as a miscarriage of justice.
In a statement issued on Monday, July 20, the Minority said it respects the independence of the judiciary but believes the High Court made serious legal and constitutional errors in handling the case.
The caucus argued that Wontumi was denied his right to be represented by his lawyer of choice after the court delivered its judgment in the absence of his lead counsel. It also criticised the trial judge for refusing to refer constitutional issues raised by the defence to the Supreme Court.
According to the Minority, these issues could affect the fairness of the trial and should be considered by the Court of Appeal.
The statement also accused the government of applying justice selectively. It questioned the status of investigations into alleged illegal mining involving some National Democratic Congress (NDC) officials, including Joseph Yamin and Yakubu Abanga, claiming those cases have not received the same level of attention as Wontumi's prosecution.
The caucus called on the Attorney-General to provide updates on those investigations and urged the Court of Appeal to give full consideration to any appeal filed by Wontumi's legal team.
While stressing that it does not support illegal mining or immunity for anyone because of political affiliation, the Minority maintained that every accused person deserves a fair trial and equal treatment under the law.
The statement ended by expressing solidarity with Wontumi and his family and described him as a "political prisoner."
On Monday, the High Court in Accra convicted Wontumi and his company, Akonta Mining Limited, on illegal mining-related offences connected to activities at the company's concession in Samreboi in the Western Region.
