The Criminal Court 4 Division of the High Court in Accra has rejected an application by lawyers for NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to delay judgment in the Samreboi mining case.
The defence had asked the court to postpone its judgment and refer some constitutional issues to the Supreme Court. The lawyers also said their lead counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, was out of the country and would return on July 22.
However, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ruled that the request had no merit. She said the court was not informed early enough about the lawyer’s absence and stressed that granting an adjournment was at the court’s discretion.
The judge also ruled that the application did not require oral arguments before a decision could be made. She dismissed the application and proceeded to deliver judgment.
Chairman Wontumi, Akonta Mining Company Limited and another accused person, Kwame Antwi, are standing trial over alleged illegal mining activities at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The prosecution says the accused unlawfully transferred mineral rights on the mining concession without the approval of the sector minister and allowed mining activities to take place without the required legal authorisation, contrary to Ghana’s Minerals and Mining Act.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com