‘Where are the other kingpins?’ – Ken Ashigbey asks President Mahama after Wontumi’s sentencing

Dr. Ken Ashigbey, convenor of the Coalition Against Galamsey Ghana, is calling for an update on other investigations carried out by state security agencies on illegal mining, also known as ‘galamsey’.

His comments come on the back of the sentencing of Wontumi, making him question the state of other similar investigations.

Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of two counts by the Accra High  Court over illegal activities on a mining concession he owned at Samraboi in the Western region.

The sentences are to run concurrently. The court also fined him 10,000 penalty units on each of the two counts. Akonta Mining Limited, a company owned by Wontumi, which was convicted on two counts, was fined 15,000 penalty units on each count.

Speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Monday, July 20, 2026, he said President Mahama promised during the 2024 electioneering campaign that he was going to deal with the kingpins of galamsey, making him question the state of those investigations he promised.

“Where are the others? The kingpins that H.E. John Mahama promised us that in 2024 that is going to be his focus? Where are the rest of them?” he asked.

He cited the Prof. Kwabeng Frimpong Boateng report where dozens of politically exposed persons were mentioned but have not seen any action since.

“We have had situations where Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s report is replete with other kingpins and politically exposed persons. We’ve had the Attorney-General of this current government who has asked EOCO to do some investigations, we are yet to get the report out of thatm,” he stated.

He further recounted President Mahama’s promise of making the report available when he met the various CSOs last year and was asked about it.

“In October last year when we met H.E. the President I asked that question, we were promised we were going to get the report, we have not seen the report.

“The Aowin MP for example who has been accused by his traditional council of being involved in galamsey but he has said that he is not but it is the traditional council, where is the investigation into that?” he further indicated.

Mr. Ashigbey said “we are not saying any of them are guilty but where is the investigations to that?”