Lawyers representing Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, have launched a fresh legal attempt to stop the Accra High Court from delivering its highly anticipated judgment in the Akonta Mining trial on Monday, July 20, 2026.
The defence team, led by Samuel Atta Akyea, is asking the High Court to postpone the judgment and refer several constitutional questions arising from the case to the Supreme Court for interpretation. The application was filed on July 16, just days before the scheduled ruling.
Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Company Limited and Kwame Antwi are standing trial over alleged offences connected to mining operations in the Samreboi area. The charges include the alleged assignment of mineral rights without ministerial approval and intentionally facilitating an unlicensed mining operation.
However, Wontumi’s lawyers argue that critical sections of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703, as amended, may be vague, overly broad and inconsistent with Article 19(11) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The defence specifically wants the Supreme Court to determine the constitutionality of Sections 14(1), 59 and 99(2)(b) of the mining law before the High Court delivers its final decision.
According to the application, proceeding with the judgment before the constitutional questions are settled could cause irreversible damage to the rights of Chairman Wontumi and the other accused persons. The lawyers insist their latest move is not designed to delay the trial but to guarantee that the case is decided on charges supported by constitutionally valid laws.
The High Court initially scheduled its judgment for July 3, but the date was moved to July 20 after Atta Akyea, who recently took over the defence, requested additional time to study the case and file written submissions. He was subsequently given until July 13 to submit the defence’s final legal arguments.
With the July 20 judgment now only hours away, attention has shifted to whether the High Court will accept the latest request, suspend its ruling and send the constitutional questions to the Supreme Court.
The outcome could determine whether Chairman Wontumi’s fate is announced as scheduled or whether the closely watched Akonta Mining trial enters another dramatic legal phase.
