Chairman Wontumi Formally Applies For Bail Pending Appeal, Court Date Set For August 19
Chairman Wontumi has formally filed a Notice of Motion at the High Court’s Criminal Division ‘4’ in Accra, applying for bail pending appeal following his conviction and 20-year prison sentence in the Akonta Mining illegal mining case.
The application, filed by lead counsel Samuel Atta Akyea on August 5, 2026, seeks an order admitting the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, currently incarcerated at Nsawam Medium Security Prison, to bail while his appeal against the conviction is heard.
The motion, brought under Section 96(1) of Act 30 and Section 33(1) of Act 459, is scheduled to be moved before the court on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
The bail application follows Wontumi’s formal notice of appeal, filed on July 28, in which his legal team asked the Court of Appeal to set aside both the conviction and the 20-year sentence handed down by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay on July 20.
Atta Akyea has previously argued the sentence was excessive, noting the law prescribes a minimum of 15 years for a first-time offender, and has expressed confidence the appellate court would allow Wontumi to remain out of custody while the case is contested.
The application will be served on the Attorney-General’s office and the Director of Prisons at Nsawam ahead of the scheduled hearing.
