New Patriotic Party Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, has been found guilty and convicted on illegal mining charges.

The High Court in Accra found him guilty in a judgement on Monday morning and jailed him for 20 years in the Samreboi mining concession case.

The court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, held that the prosecution had proved its case that Chairman Wontumi and Akonta Mining permitted Henry Okoom and Michael Gyedu Ayisi to undertake mining activities.

This was done on the company’s concession without securing the prior approval of the minister for lands and natural resources and thereby facilitated illegal mining on the land.

Chairman Wontumi, in addition to the prison sentence, will pay GH¢120,000, in default of which he will serve three years in prison.

Akonta mining, however, will pay GH¢180,000 on two counts.