A member of the legal team backing Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has indicated that efforts are already underway to respond to the High Court judgment that handed him a 20-year prison sentence over illegal mining.

Speaking to classfmonline.com shortly after the verdict, lawyer Maurice Akoto Ampaw disclosed that Wontumi's lawyers have begun pursuing legal options but declined to reveal the nature of the action being taken.

'Consequences await perpetrators of injustice against Wontumi - Maurice Ampaw warns

"We are doing something," he said.

Pressed for details, the private legal practitioner maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss the matter while legal processes were ongoing.

"We are taking legal steps [now], so I don't want to comment."

His remarks come hours after the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court found Chairman Wontumi guilty of offences relating to illegal mining on the Samreboi concession in the Western Region.

Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, who presided over the case, sentenced the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman to two concurrent 20-year prison terms after delivering judgment shortly after 11:40 a.m. on Monday, July 20, 2026.

In addition to the custodial sentence, the court imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units on Mr Antwi-Boasiako, with a default sentence of three years' imprisonment should he fail to pay.

While Maurice Ampaw did not specify whether the legal team intends to file an appeal or pursue another legal remedy, his comments suggest that Chairman Wontumi's conviction is likely to face further judicial scrutiny in the coming days.

NA/BAI

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