The Office of the Attorney General has filed a strong opposition to an application seeking to postpone judgment in the ongoing criminal trial involving the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, over alleged illegal mining activities in Samreboi.
The application was filed by lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea, who recently assumed legal representation for Chairman Wontumi and requested additional time before judgment is delivered.
However, the Attorney General's Office says the request lacks merit and has asked the court to dismiss the application and proceed with the case.
In a 13 paragraph affidavit filed on Thursday, June 25, Senior State Attorney Nana Ama Prempeh argued that the accused had legal representation throughout the trial and that the withdrawal of his former counsel was a voluntary decision rather than one caused by unavoidable circumstances.
According to the prosecution, the responsibility for providing case records and briefing a newly appointed lawyer rests with the outgoing legal representative and not with the court registry.
“In a 13 paragraph affidavit in opposition deposed to by Nana Ama Prempeh, a Senior State Attorney, the Attorney General strongly argues that the accused person having been represented by Counsel throughout the trial and that Counsel only withdrawing voluntarily and not for cause, the proper source for a new Lawyer to procure the records of and any brief or briefing on the case is the outgoing counsel and not the Court’s Registry,” the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Secretariat stated in a Facebook post.
The prosecution further contends that Samuel Atta Akyea's decision to seek the case records directly from the court registry instead of obtaining them from previous counsel was not made in good faith.
The Attorney General maintains that the circumstances presented do not justify delaying judgment and is urging the court to reject the application to ensure the trial proceeds without further interruption.
The case forms part of ongoing legal proceedings involving allegations of illegal mining activities against Chairman Wontumi in Samreboi and continues to attract significant public and political attention.
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