Weaponising Bail conditions as punishment: Wontumi caged again.

He was granted ₵15 million bail with sureties after being placed on a stop list, preventing him from leaving the country. One of his co-accused persons, Kwame Antwi, is currently on the run.

Later in the day, Wontumi was arraigned again in a second criminal case involving alleged illegal mining activities in the Tano Nimire Forest Reserve at Samreboi in the Western Region.

In this case, he and four others are facing seven charges, including undertaking mining operations without a licence, felling trees, and erecting structures within a forest reserve.

The court, after hearing arguments from both prosecution and defence lawyers, granted him a ₵10 million bail with two sureties, one of whom must justify with landed property.

However, Wontumi’s legal team was unable to meet the bail requirements by close of day, forcing him to remain in custody overnight.

Despite the mounting legal challenges, Chairman Wontumi has pleaded not guilty to all charges in both cases.

The development has sparked widespread public interest, given Wontumi’s high-profile status within the ruling NPP and his close association with several senior government officials.