The Attorney‑General has filed an affidavit at the High Court opposing an application by former New Patriotic Party Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi‑Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and Akonta Mining Company Limited to recall the first prosecution witness in the ongoing Tano Nimiri illegal mining case.
In the affidavit, the AG argues that the defence has not established sufficient grounds to warrant the recall of witness Edward Akuoko for further cross‑examination. The prosecution maintains that a change in legal representation does not, in itself, constitute a valid reason to recall a witness who has already testified and been discharged.
The AG contends that the matters the defence intends to revisit were already within the knowledge of the accused persons and their previous legal representatives during the trial, and that the issues were adequately addressed when Akuoko was cross‑examined on May 18, 2026. The affidavit further states that the procedure for recalling a witness is not intended to allow a party to reopen its cross‑examination simply because it has changed lawyers or wishes to pursue a different line of questioning.
The prosecution also argues that the defence has not demonstrated that the proposed questions concern matters that were previously unknown or could not have been discovered through reasonable diligence at the time of the original cross‑examination. Accordingly, the AG is asking the court to summarily dismiss the application to recall the witness.
The application follows a request by counsel for Wontumi, Samuel Atta Akyea, to have Akuoko return to the witness box after the prosecution closed its case. The court had directed the defence to file a formal application for the recall.
Akuoko, a former General Manager of Akonta Mining, was initially among the accused persons but later became a prosecution witness after charges against him were withdrawn. His testimony formed part of the State’s case concerning alleged mining activities in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
Wontumi, Akonta Mining Company Limited and another accused person are facing charges arising from alleged unauthorised mining and other activities in the forest reserve. They have pleaded not guilty, and the allegations are yet to be determined by the court.
