Court dismisses Wontumi’s deferment application as incompetent, judgment proceeds

The court described the application as incompetent and moot, paving the way for Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay to proceed with the much-anticipated ruling in the case, which has drawn national attention due to its implications for the fight against illegal mining.

The Accra High Court has dismissed a motion filed by lawyers for the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, seeking to defer the delivery of judgment in his ongoing Samreboi concession trial.

Joseph Iroko, Senior Manager for Legal Affairs at the Minerals Commission, testified that a search of the Commission's records revealed no application or ministerial approval indicating that Akonta Mining had assigned or transferred the concession to Okum.