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NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman seeks Supreme Court interpretation of Minerals and Mining Act provisions
via GhanaWeb1 min read
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party NPP, has requested the High Court in Accra to refer specific provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act to the Supreme Court for interpretation. Mr. Antwi-Boasiako was accused of allegedly leasing his mining concession in Samreboi, Western Region, in violation of the Minerals and Mining Act. His counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, argued that if the High Court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvi-Tay, declines to refer the case to the Supreme Court, then his client should be acquitted and discharged. This argument was presented in a 50-page written address to the court, which is scheduled to deliver a judgment on July 20. Mr. Akyea seeks a Supreme Court determination on whether Section 141 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 Act 703, which underpins some of the charges, is legally vague, overbroad, and inconsistent with Article 1911 of the 1992 Constitution, thus rendering it unconstitutional, null, and void. Mr. Antwi-Boasiako, who is also vying for the NPP National Chairman position, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assigning mineral rights without approval and purposely facilitating an unlicensed mining operation. The Office of the Attorney General filed criminal charges against Mr. Antwi-Boasiako, a shareholder of Akonta Mining, and Kwame Antwi, a director of the company. Mr. Antwi, a co-accused facing similar charges, is currently at large. Four witnesses were called by the prosecution to testify
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