Wontumi galamsey trial: First witness testifies, says he has no proof Wontumi assigned Samreboi concession

Michael Gyedu Ayisi, the initial prosecution witness in the current criminal case concerning the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, famously called Chairman Wontumi, informed the High Court in Accra that he possesses no written evidence to substantiate assertions that the Samreboi mining concession was allocated by Chairman Wontumi to Henry Okum.

Michael Gyedu Ayisi confessed during cross-examination as the State initiated its case against Chairman Wontumi and two other defendants for supposedly permitting mining on its Samreboi concession without permission.

The witness, an artisanal miner, informed the court led by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay that his conviction that Henry Okum seized the concession from Chairman Wontumi relied entirely on Okum’s statements to him, and not on any paperwork he had directly observed.

When directly questioned if he had encountered any assignment or concession document showing a transfer of mining rights from Chairman Wontumi to Henry Okum, Ayisi answered negatively, saying clearly: “I have not seen any document.”

Pressed further on how he determined that the land was a concession owned by Chairman Wontumi, the witness insisted that it was Okum who told him and took him to the location at Samreboi in the Western Region.

Ayisi also acknowledged that he was unfamiliar with the limits of the Samreboi concession, had never viewed a concession document, and lacked formal mining training, having acquired skills “on the job.”

The witness additionally informed the court that he had never encountered Chairman Wontumi in person or observed him at the Samreboi location, clarifying that his sole awareness of the NPP regional chairman was through television. “Ayisi remarked, ‘I have only seen him on television.’”

The witness, however, asserted that in Samreboi, it was widely recognized that the land was owned by Chairman Wontumi, stating, “even a child knows” the land is his.

Chairman Wontumi is confronting allegations, including allowing mining activities on his Samreboi concession without obtaining the necessary approval and authorization, in violation of Ghana’s mining regulations. He has entered a plea of not guilty to the accusations.

Earlier in his testimony, Ayisi endorsed his prosecution witness statement from October 6, 2025, where he identified himself as an administrator and supervisor under Henry Okum at the Samreboi site.

He mentioned in the witness statement that he managed mining in untouched sections of the land while supervising reclamation and coconut planting in areas that had been mined before.

During questioning by the attorney representing Chairman Wontumi, Andy Appiah-Kubi, the witness acknowledged that he removed gold from the location and delivered it to Henry Okum multiple times, although he was unable to specify the value or how often the transactions occurred.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com