South Dayi Member of Parliament and Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has rejected claims that the prosecution of former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, was politically motivated.
According to Mr Dafeamekpor, the legal challenges facing Chairman Wontumi did not originate under the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, arguing that the previous NPP government had already distanced itself from his alleged illegal mining activities before it left office.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Monday, July 20, 2026, while discussing developments following Chairman Wontumi’s conviction in the Samreboi illegal mining case, the South Dayi lawmaker said investigations into the matter began while the NPP was still in government.
“The NPP government disowned him and said he was engaged in an illegality before the NDC came to power,” Mr Dafeamekpor stated.
He maintained that the circumstances surrounding the case show that it was not initiated by the current administration but stemmed from actions taken under the previous government.
Mr Dafeamekpor’s comments come after the Accra High Court convicted Chairman Wontumi over illegal mining-related offences involving Akonta Mining Limited’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The court found Chairman Wontumi guilty of unlawfully assigning mineral rights without the approval of the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources and facilitating illegal mining activities on the concession. He was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment on two counts, with the sentences to run concurrently, while Akonta Mining Limited was fined 15,000 penalty units on each count.
