Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has defended the conviction of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, describing the judgment as fair, well-reasoned and firmly grounded in the evidence presented during the trial.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, Mr Kpebu said he was present in court for a substantial portion of the delivery of the judgment and was satisfied with the judge’s analysis of the case.
“The judgment is very fair. Very fair. I was in court—not throughout the whole judgment—but I listened to at least more than half of it. The judge was very sound,” he said on Monday, July 20.
According to him, the conviction was not unexpected because the prosecution’s case was supported by direct testimony from a key witness who admitted carrying out the illegal mining activities.
Mr Kpebu explained that the second prosecution witness testified that Chairman Wontumi had given him access to the concession where the illegal mining took place.
“The person who was given the opportunity to do the galamsey came to testify as the second prosecution witness. He did the galamsey and testified that Chairman Wontumi gave him the land to mine,” he stated.
He argued that because the mining operations were not lawfully authorised, the evidence pointed to illegal mining and significantly strengthened the prosecution’s case.
“Once the gentleman who did the actual mining operations is testifying against Wontumi, and once there is no evidence to discredit him as a liar or show he had ulterior motives, Wontumi was bound to be convicted,” Mr Kpebu said.
The private legal practitioner described the case as “an open and shut case,” adding that the conviction was the natural outcome of the evidence presented before the court.
“This day was always coming,” he remarked.
Mr Kpebu’s comments come after the Accra High Court sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment over illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.
However, the New Patriotic Party, in a press conference after the conviction, described the judgement as a “travesty of justice” and vowed to appeal the judgement.
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