By: Barbara Kumah
In a similar development, WONTUMI, and two others, have been granted bail in the sum of ten million Ghana cedis each with two sureties one of which must be justified with a landed property in another mining-related case in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve in the Western Region of Ghana.
Akonta Mining Company Limited Wontumi, and General Manager of Akonta mining company Limited, EDWARD AKUAKO, were arraigned before the Criminal Court 1 division of the High Court in Accra, Tuesday afternoon on six counts of undertaking a mining operation without a licence, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, Felling trees in a Forest Reserve without written authority from the competent forest authority, contrary the Forest Protection Act, 1974 (NRCD 243), abatement and Erecting buildings in a Forest Reserve without written authority from the competent forest authority, contrary provisions of the Forest Protection Act.
The three accused persons, pleaded not guilty, to all six counts. The case includes two other accused persons, a co-director and shareholder, Kwame Antwi and operations manager of Akonta mining KWADWO OWUSU BEMPAH alias SLY, who are on the run from the law.
Meanwhile, Wontumi and the two others are to re-appear in court November 4 for continuation pre-trial proceedings.
The first accused is AKONTA MINING COMPANY LIMITED. The second accused is BERNARD ANTWI BOASIAKO alias WONTUMI, who one of the two directors and shareholders of Akonta mining. The third accused is KWAME ANTWI, and is at large. He is listed as the other shareholder and other director of Akonta Mining Company Limited. The fourth accused person, is EDWARD AKUAKO, a 48 year old native of Cape Coast and said to be the General Manager of Akonta Mining. The fifth accused is KWADWO OWUSU BEMPAH alias SLY, said to be the Operations Manager of Akonta Mining and also on the run from the law.
According to the facts of the case, read by the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Sremi Sai, Criminal Investigation Department of the Police Service received multiple petitions from various individuals and organisations some few years ago, demanding investigations into the activities of Akonta Mining, and its owner and director, Wontumi.
The petitions by the facts, were about unauthorized mining and mineral rights related activities of the company and Wontumi in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve. Per the facts, the Police Service launched investigations into the petitions , which revealed that in July 2022, the company lawfully obtained mining leases over concessions in Samreboi and Abekoase, both in the Western Region, which were located outside the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve.
The facts said that, on August 2022, the company applied for a permit to enter and undertake mining operations in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve, but was refused.
The court heard that, in the same month, a Forest Range Supervisor of the Forestry Commission who was on patrol, discovered that six branded Akonta mining excavators had crossed the Tano River into the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve and were engaged in active mining operations.
The Deputy A-G, narrated that, investigations established that the company entered the forest reserve, nevertheless. Further investigations revealed that Akonta mining, erected security checkpoints and other structures, with the company’s logo embossed on them and had begun conducting extensive mining operations still without a license.
The court heard that, few weeks later, the number of excavators had increased to more than 40, with many bearing the company’s corporate logo.
Dr. Justice Sremi Sai, continued that, in order to provide housing for the teeming number of persons working for it, Akonta mining, put up several makeshift structures across the Forest Reserve, which it nor its owner, Wontumi, had no authorisation for. It was also said in court that, mining activities in the forest reserve caused extreme environmental destruction, including the devastation of approximately 13 hectares of land covering the bed and banks of the Tano River and adjoining portions of the forest reserve.
This alleged destruction involved the uprooting and felling of hundreds of merchantable trees and unquantifiable saplings, the loss of vegetation cover, and severe pollution of the river ecosystem.
The court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, was told, that On August 17, 2022, officials of the Forestry Commission accompanied by media personnel and officers of Samartex Timber and Plywood Limited, a company with timber harvesting in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve, visited the site of the mining company’s illegal activities within the forest reserve.
The Forestry-Commission-led team arrested some persons believed to be employees of Akonta mining, and seized their mining equipment, including water-pumping machines and metal pipes. Whilst making their way out of the forest reserve, the team was allegedly confronted by armed personnel of Akonta mining, and preventing the Forestry-Commission-led
team from exiting with the seized mining equipment.
The said armed personnel, drove in vehicles which were marked with Akonta Mining’s corporate logo and were led by the fourth and fifth accused persons, and demanded the release of the seized equipment from the Forestry-Commission led team. According to Investigations, the Forestry-Commission-led team, but only after they had forced the team to surrender the seized equipment.
Three of the accused persons were apprehended after several attempts by the security and intelligence agencies, including a confrontation in Kumasi between the armed men accompanying Wontumi.
