The Attorney-General has presented Henry Okum, a licensed small-scale miner, as the second prosecution witness (PW2) in the ongoing trial of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, before the High Court in Accra.
Mr Okum’s testimony followed the conclusion of evidence by the first prosecution witness, Michael Gyedu Ayisi (PW1), who had completed both his examination-in-chief and cross-examination.
The prosecution is being led by the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, while counsel for the accused persons is Andy Appiah-Kubi. Proceedings took place on Tuesday.
The trial court, presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, admitted Mr Okum’s witness statement as his evidence-in-chief before allowing counsel for the accused to proceed with cross-examination.
Witness Account
In his statement to the court, Mr Okum said he is a small-scale miner resident in Kumasi and duly licensed to operate in specific areas.
He stated that he knows the first accused person (A1), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, as well as the second and third accused persons, Kwame Antwi (at large) and Akonta Mining Company Limited.
Mr Okum told the court that in September 2024, he identified a mining site at Samreboi in the Western Region and, upon inquiry at the Minerals Commission, discovered that the concession was registered in the name of Akonta Mining Company Limited.
He said he subsequently contacted Chairman Wontumi to discuss the possibility of mining on unmined portions of the concession.
According to him, A1 agreed to allow him to mine on the unmined areas and also tasked him to reclaim previously mined portions of the land by planting coconut seedlings.
Mr Okum stated that no money was given to him for the reclamation works, adding that he was expected to fund the exercise from proceeds of his mining activities.
He further testified that he was not accountable to A1 for profits or losses arising from his mining and reclamation activities.
PW2 said that at a point, A1 directed him to a dealer to obtain two bulldozers and an excavator to support the reclamation works, but the equipment was initially not released because full payment had not been made.
Mr Okum explained that he later entered into an arrangement with the dealer to pay for the equipment from proceeds of his mining operations once the machines were released.
He said he funded the reclamation works himself and that A1 was fully aware of this arrangement.
He told the court that instead of paying the usual “goodwill” or percentage to the concession owner, the agreement was that proceeds from the mined gold would be used to reclaim the land with coconut plantations.
According to him, when the coconut trees mature, proceeds from the harvest would be shared equally between him and A1.
Cross-Examination
During cross-examination, Mr Okum confirmed that Michael Ayisi, PW1, was his site manager and that he became aware of the case after some of his staff were arrested.
He stated that although the arrests were linked to Akonta Mining, he is neither a staff nor a shareholder of Akonta Mining Company Limited.
He told the court that he is a director of a separate company known as Hencom Ventures, which he clarified is not a mining company.
Several objections were raised by defence counsel and the prosecution during questioning, particularly on issues of relevance under the Evidence Act, with the court sustaining some objections and disallowing certain questions.
The court adjourned the case to Thursday for continuation of proceedings. (A3).
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