The High Court in Accra has formally discharged Edward Akuoko as the fourth accused in the ongoing illegal mining case against Akonta Mining Company Limited. A notice filed by Deputy Attorney General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai on November 3 confirmed the withdrawal under Section 59 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act.
Akuoko’s discharge follows his cooperation with prosecutors, including an agreement to provide testimony. The case continues against other accused persons, including company owner and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi.
The accused face charges of mining without a licence, illegally felling trees and erecting structures in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. Prosecutors allege the company’s 2022 operations caused severe environmental damage to over 13 hectares of forest and polluted the Tano River. The court recently rescinded a bench warrant for Boasiako after he appeared.
