THE LAW 101: Inside the Defence Address for Wontumi & Akonta Mining (Part IV)

Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining Company Limited had a comprehensive written address submitted on their behalf by counsel Samuel Atta Akyea of Zoe, Akyea & Co. on July 13, 2026, ahead of the High Court's delivery of judgment in *The Republic v. Bernard Antwi Boasiako @ Wontumi and 2 Others* case. The address was designed to move the judicial mind toward acquittal and discharge for the 1st Accused (Bernard Antwi Boasiako) and the 3rd Accused (Akonta Mining Company Limited).

The defence framed the trial around three major legal and factual controversies, including the preliminary constitutional issue of whether Sections 14(1) and 99(2)(b) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995, violate the principle of legality under Article 19(11) of the 1992 Constitution. Another issue was the assignment issue (Counts 1 & 3), questioning whether permitting a third party to enter a concession for land reclamation and coconut planting constitutes a "transfer, assignment, mortgage, encumbrance, or dealing" in a mineral right without written ministerial approval under Section 14(1).