His legal counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea of Zoe, Akyea & Co., filed the motion under Section 96(1) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), as well as Section 33(1) of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459).
Through the motion, Wontumi is requesting the High Court to admit him to bail while his appeal is being heard and determined. The application is supported by an affidavit outlining the grounds for the request.
The case, The Republic v. Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Wontumi, Kwame Antwi (at large), and Akonta Mining Company Limited, identifies Wontumi as the first appellant/applicant, while Akonta Mining Company Limited is listed as the third appellant.
The High Court’s Criminal Division 4 in Accra is expected to hear the bail application on August 19, 2026.
Copies of the application have been served on the Office of the Attorney-General, which is representing the state in the matter, as well as the Director of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.
The court will decide whether Wontumi should be released on bail while his appeal against the conviction is pending.
Chairman Wontumi was handed a 20-year prison sentence after Criminal Court 4 of the High Court found him guilty on all six charges brought against him.
He was tried alongside Akonta Mining Company Limited and a third accused person, Kwame Antwi, who is still on the run, over illegal mining activities on the company’s concession at Samreboi in the Western Region.
The prosecution argued that the accused unlawfully transferred mineral rights on the concession without obtaining the approval of the sector minister and enabled mining operations to take place without the necessary authorisation, in breach of the Minerals and Mining Act.
