The Accra High Court has deferred the hearing of a bail application filed by former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, to October 15, 2026.
Wontumi’s lawyers were expected to move the application on Wednesday, August 19, as they seek his release from custody pending the determination of his appeal against his conviction and 20-year prison sentence.
The matter, however, could not be heard after Wontumi and his lead counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, were absent from court.
The NPP Director of Legal Affairs, Gary Nimako, was present when the case was called.
The court clerk subsequently informed the parties that the presiding judge was unavailable and would not sit during the week. The development effectively prevented the court from taking the bail application, resulting in the adjournment to October 15.
The new date means Wontumi’s legal team will have to wait before formally presenting its arguments for his release pending the outcome of the appeal.
Wontumi is serving a 20-year sentence handed down by the Accra High Court following his conviction on illegal mining-related offences.
His lawyers have since challenged the conviction and sentence through an appeal, while separately seeking bail to allow him to remain out of custody until the appellate process is concluded.
The October 15 hearing will therefore focus on Wontumi’s request for bail, while the substantive appeal challenging his conviction and sentence remains a separate matter before the appellate process.
