Lead counsel for the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, has questioned the speed of the Chairman Wontumi illegal mining trial, arguing that politically sensitive criminal cases appear to receive unusually urgent attention from the courts.
Samuel Atta Akyea raised the concern on JoyNews’ Newsfile, less than a week after the Accra High Court sentenced his client, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years in prison over illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.
“There seems to be an indecent haste to prosecute what I call political cases,” Mr Atta Akyea said.His criticism was not limited to the verdict. It focused heavily on the pace of proceedings and the manner in which the case was scheduled.
Lawyer Questions Fast-Tracked Proceedings
Mr Atta Akyea argued that cases before Ghanaian courts are usually handled with longer adjournments, depending on the workload of judges and the nature of the matter.
“There is a justice delivery system in which judges are not by themselves in a hurry to prosecute people but to adjudicate matters,” he said.
He suggested that an examination of court adjournments would show that many cases are postponed for weeks and, in some instances, months.
“If you conduct a proper audit, you will see that cases are treated in the normal course of events, and a judge could tell you, ‘I will adjourn this case.’ Some judges even adjourn cases for two months,” he stated.
The lawyer said Chairman Wontumi’s prosecution followed a different pattern, with the case placed before what he described as a special court and given priority over other legal engagements.
“This is a special case. They take it to a special court, and the judge will tell you that you can’t go to another court and do another case while I am waiting.
"You need to come to this court and then we proceed with the case. What is the meaning of that?” Mr Atta Akyea
“Ambulance Trial” Claim
Mr Atta Akyea said such arrangements could create the public impression that politically exposed defendants are being subjected to what he termed an “ambulance trial.”
“It is ministering to the generality of our people that let’s do an ambulance trial relative to political cases,” he said.
He also compared the handling of high-profile criminal cases with civil disputes, particularly land litigation, which often takes years to conclude.
“Because when we come to civil cases about land matters, are the same energies these judges are using in trying to adjudicate criminal cases applied to civil cases?” he asked.
According to him, litigants in land and other civil cases frequently experience lengthy adjournments, even when the matters involve significant property and financial interests.
Wontumi Sentenced to 20 Years
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay of the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court delivered the judgment on Monday, July 20, 2026.
The court sentenced Chairman Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment for illegal mining activities linked to the Samreboi concession.
He was also fined 10,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢120,000. A default sentence of three years will apply if the fine is not paid.
Mr Atta Akyea’s remarks are likely to deepen debate over the speed of politically sensitive trials and whether the same level of urgency is applied consistently across Ghana’s justice system.
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