The Ghana Prisons Service has assured that former Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is safe in their custody amid allegations of poisoning. According to Superintendent Abdul Latif Adamu, the Service's Public Relations Officer, they received the information through Wontumi's aide, who visited him, and immediately launched an investigation.
The investigation was prompted by an alleged plot to poison Wontumi, which was uncovered after an individual reportedly overheard inmates discussing plans to poison him. Five inmates at Nsawam Prison have been transferred following the incident. Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, who spoke to the media, noted that he learnt about the incident directly from Wontumi during their conversation at the court proceedings on Tuesday, October 27.
Wontumi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on each of two counts after the High Court in Accra found him guilty in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case on Monday, July 20. The two prison terms will run concurrently. His legal team challenged his conviction and 20-year prison sentence through an appeal at the Accra High Court on August 5, 2026.
The appeal was in response to the conviction, which also included a fine of 10,000 penalty units on each count. Before the verdict, the defence filed a last-minute application seeking to delay the judgment and refer constitutional questions to the Supreme Court. Wontumi's first application for bail was supposed to have been heard on August 19 but could not proceed after Wontumi and his lead lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, failed to appear in court.
In April, Wontumi's bid to halt the ongoing criminal proceedings in the alleged Samreboi illegal mining case was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay delivered the ruling on Tuesday, April 21. Wontumi has been accused of facilitating illegal mining by allowing individuals to operate on the Samreboi concession without the required licence.
The Ghana Prisons Service has assured that Wontumi is doing fine and is in good condition. The Service has put in place the necessary mechanisms to investigate and find out the truth in the matter, and also bring all those who are found culpable to book. The identities of the inmates transferred following the alleged plot to poison Wontumi are yet to be made known.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of high-profile inmates in Ghana's prisons. The Prisons Service has assured that it is taking the matter seriously and will release the investigation report to the public in due time. Meanwhile, Wontumi's lawyer has maintained that there is no evidence to support the illegal mining charges brought against his client.
Key points
- The Ghana Prisons Service is investigating allegations of poisoning against former NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, aka Chairman Wontumi, at Nsawam Prison.
- Wontumi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on each of two counts for his role in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case.
- Five inmates at Nsawam Prison have been transferred following an alleged plot to poison Wontumi.
