Businessman and former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has filed an application seeking bail pending the determination of his appeal.
The application has been filed before the High Court, Criminal Division ‘4’ in Accra, with the court scheduled to hear the matter on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
According to a notice of motion dated August 5, 2026, lawyers for Wontumi are asking the court to grant him bail while his appeal is pending.
The application has been brought pursuant to Section 96(1) of the Act 30 and Section 33(1) of Act 459, as cited in the court document.
Wontumi is listed as the 1st Appellant/Applicant in the case, with Kwame Antwi (at large) named as the 2nd accused person and Akonta Mining Company Limited as the 3rd appellant.
The notice of motion states that Wontumi is currently being held at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons and is seeking an order from the court admitting him to bail pending the outcome of his appeal.
The court document indicates that counsel for Wontumi and Akonta Mining Company will move the application on August 19, or as soon thereafter as the lawyers may be heard.
The application was filed by Samuel Atta-Akyea, Esq., of Zoe Akyea & Co., acting as lawyer for the first and third appellants.
The Office of the Attorney-General has been listed as the respondent and is to be served with the application. The Director of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons has also been named among those to be served.
The filing of the application marks the latest legal move in the case involving Wontumi and Akonta Mining Company.
The notice confirms that Wontumi remains in custody at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons as he pursues the appeal.
His lawyers are therefore asking the High Court to exercise its discretion to release him on bail while the appeal process continues.
The court will consider the grounds contained in the accompanying affidavit in support of the application before determining whether to grant the requested relief.
The document does not state the specific bail conditions being proposed by the applicant. Those details, as well as the arguments from both sides, are expected to emerge when the application is moved before the court.
The Attorney-General’s Office will have the opportunity to respond to the application and oppose or support the request before the court makes its determination.
Application follows appeal
The motion is specifically described as an “Application for Bail Pending Appeal,” indicating that the request is tied to an ongoing appeal against the matter in which Wontumi is currently being held.
The court has consequently been asked to grant him temporary liberty while the appellate process is pursued.
The High Court’s decision on August 19 will determine whether Wontumi remains in custody during the appeal or is released on conditions set by the court.
For now, the businessman remains at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons pending the hearing of the application.
The case is expected to attract significant attention when the bail application comes before the High Court on August 19, 2026.
CREDIT: MAVIS FANTEVI