Wontumi should not be made a sacrificial lamb to deter illegal mining – Atta Akyea

Lead counsel for Chairman Wontumi, Samuel Atta Akyea, has indicated that his client's 20-year prison sentence will be challenged on appeal, describing the punishment as excessively harsh and arguing that deterrence alone cannot justify such a lengthy custodial term.

His comments follow the sentencing the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years' imprisonment over illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.

It's very harsh," he said when asked whether the sentence would be challenged.