Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has commended Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, for what he described as the swift prosecution of the illegal mining case that resulted in the conviction and sentencing of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Company Limited and the second accused, Kwame Antwi, who remains at large, were convicted on six counts relating to the unlawful assignment of mineral rights and purposely facilitating unlicensed mining operations within Akonta Mining’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.

The prosecution said Wontumi, as owner and controlling director of Akonta Mining, permitted Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi to undertake mining activities within the company’s concession in 2024 without obtaining the mandatory written approval of the Minister responsible for mining, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act.

An High Court, presided over Justice Audrey Kocuvie Tay on Monday, July 20, sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units, with an additional three-year custodial sentence in default of payment.

Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV on the same day, Kpebu said the speed with which the case was prosecuted demonstrated careful case preparation by the Attorney General’s office and effective management of the trial process.

“Extremely expeditious. So it should tell you that the Attorney General has been very efficient, Dr. Dominic Ayine,” Kpebu said.

He explained that the prosecution’s strategy appeared to have focused on presenting only the essential witnesses needed to prove its case rather than calling an unnecessarily large number of witnesses.

“The Attorney General looked at the number of witnesses they needed. They don’t need to call 20 witnesses when maybe five or six would do. That’s a very strategic decision. And also the fact that the court was sitting frequently on the matter,” he stated.

The lawyer further argued that concluding a major criminal trial within about a year was reasonable and called for such timelines to serve as a benchmark for future cases.