Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, is set to spend the night in police custody.
This follows his inability to satisfy a ₵25 million bail requirement in two separate cases currently before the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra.
The politician, who has been placed on a stop list and restricted from traveling outside the country, is facing several charges related to illegal mining. Among the allegations are claims that his company caused damage to about 13 hectares of land within the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve.
This allegation is tied to a second criminal case, in which he and others are accused of engaging in mining operations without a valid licence, cutting down trees, and putting up structures inside a protected forest area.
In a separate but related case, Wontumi is also said to have assigned mineral rights without due authorization and supported illegal mining activities.
He has, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against him.
Source: Adomonline
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