The former General Manager of Akonta Mining Company Limited, Edward Akwasi Akuoko, has admitted that the company did not complete all the necessary documentation required for its operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
In an exclusive interview on Adom TV’s Badwam show, Mr. Akuoko said this revelation would form part of his testimony as a prosecution witness for the state.
According to him, this fact was publicly acknowledged by the company’s owner and Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, during the ongoing trial.
His comments come after the Office of the Attorney-General (AG) formally withdrew all charges against him, making him the fourth accused person to be discharged in the criminal case involving Akonta Mining and some of its officials.
A notice filed at the Accra High Court (Criminal Division) on Monday and signed by Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem Sai stated that the withdrawal was in accordance with Section 59 of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30).
Mr. Akuoko, however, declined to confirm whether mining activities actually took place within the forest reserve, citing ongoing court proceedings.
He admitted that he was initially terrified when he learned about the charges and their potential 15-year jail term if convicted.
Explaining his decision to cooperate with the Attorney-General’s Office and testify for the state, Mr. Akuoko said it was a personal choice guided by truth and due process.
“I decided to testify not out of disloyalty, but because I want to do what is right,” he stated. “If my former boss, Chairman Wontumi, is ever convicted, he might get a presidential pardon someday. I don’t think that opportunity would be extended to me.”
He also rejected suggestions that he had betrayed Chairman Wontumi, insisting that his cooperation with the prosecution was motivated by integrity rather than ingratitude.
“I am only standing by the truth and helping the court to establish the facts,” Mr. Akuoko emphasised.