I Engage In Responsible Mining - Wontumi

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has firmly denied allegations linking him to illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey. Speaking after his interrogation by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Chairman Wontumi stated that he had presented his mining licence to authorities to prove that he operates legally. I was invited by the police and charged with being involved in galamsey.

I presented my licence to them to prove that I do not engage in illegal mining or galamsey. They also claimed I was working in the forest, but I told them it wasn’t me. If they have any evidence, they should show it to me, he said. He further explained that while he had previously applied for a license to operate in a forest area, the Forestry Commission, Lands Commission, and Minerals Commission had informed him that the land was designated for protection. So, if anyone is working there now, I am not aware of it, he added.

Chairman Wontumi also strongly denied reports suggesting he received a payment of GHS50 million from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) during the final days of the Akufo-Addo administration. This followed allegations that his company, Hallmark Engineering, was paid a large sum by COCOBOD despite a directive from then-incoming Chief of Staff Julius Debrah to halt contract payments during the transition period.