New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team member Dennis Miracles Aboagye has claimed that Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is serving a prison sentence because of politics rather than illegal mining alone.
Speaking during a discussion on UTV in a video shared on X on July 22, 2026, Aboagye argued that Wontumi’s outspoken public comments while the NPP was in government contributed to his current legal troubles.
“We all know that the reason why Chairman Wontumi is in jail isn’t because of galamsey but because of his own mouth. As for Chairman Wontumi being used as a scapegoat for a political party, we knew that was going to happen. He is a political prisoner,” he said.
Aboagye maintained that the 20-year prison sentence was not solely the result of illegal mining offences but was also influenced by statements Wontumi had made against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the years.
“We all know that Chairman Wontumi is a scapegoat unless you don’t want to accept the truth.
“He’s in jail because of politics. He’s a political prisoner. I doubt he would have been in there if he wasn’t Chairman Wontumi. There are a lot of galamsey operators, so why haven’t they been jailed?” he added.
His remarks come after an Accra High Court convicted Chairman Wontumi on all six counts in the illegal mining case involving Akonta Mining Company Limited and sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment.
