Wontumi Files For Bail
The Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman has formally asked the High Court to grant him bail pending the determination of his appeal, setting the stage for another significant legal battle.
Bernard Antwi Bosiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, has taken another major legal step in his ongoing court battle by filing an application at the High Court in Accra seeking bail pending the determination of his appeal. Court documents filed before the Criminal Division ‘4’ of the High Court show that Wontumi, through his legal team, is asking the court to order his release from the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons while his appeal is being heard. The application invokes Section 96(1) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30) and Section 33(1) of Act 459, provisions under which the court is empowered to consider granting bail after conviction or pending an appeal under appropriate circumstances.
The motion, filed under Suit No. CR/0004/2026, lists The Republic as the respondent and identifies Bernard Antwi Bosiako as the first appellant and applicant, Kwame Antwi (At Large) as the second accused person, and Akonta Mining Company Limited as the third appellant. According to the application, Wontumi is currently incarcerated at Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, and his lawyers are praying the court to admit him to bail while the appellate process runs its course. The motion states that the request is grounded on reasons contained in a supporting affidavit and further asks the court to make any additional orders it considers just and appropriate.
The application has been scheduled for hearing on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., when the High Court is expected to hear arguments from counsel representing the first and third appellants before determining whether Wontumi should regain his temporary freedom pending the outcome of the appeal. The legal process marks the latest development in a case that has attracted considerable public and political attention, with the outcome of the bail application expected to determine whether the New Patriotic Party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman remains in custody while the appellate court considers the substantive issues raised against his conviction.
The motion was dated August 5, 2026, at Adehye Chambers in Accra and officially filed at the High Court on August 6, 2026, according to the court’s filing stamp. It was signed by Samuel Atta Akyea, counsel for the first and third appellants, acting on behalf of Wontumi and Akonta Mining Company Limited. The court filing further directs that copies of the application be served on the Office of the Attorney-General, which represents the Republic in the matter, and the Director of Prisons at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, where Wontumi is currently incarcerated.
The High Court’s decision on August 19 will determine whether the applicant has satisfied the legal threshold for bail pending appeal, balancing the interests of justice against the circumstances surrounding the appeal before the substantive appellate proceedings continue.
By Joyce Owusu
