Court of Appeal Rejects Wontumi’s Bid to Halt Samreboi Mining Trial

The Court of Appeal Ghana has dismissed a fresh application by lawyers for Bernard Antwi Boasiako seeking to suspend his ongoing criminal trial at the High Court over the Samreboi mining case.

The legal team had requested a stay of proceedings pending an interlocutory appeal challenging an earlier ruling by Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, which directed Wontumi to open his defence over allegations that he allowed unauthorised mining on his concession.

They argued that the trial should be paused until the appeal is determined, but both the High Court and the Court of Appeal rejected the request.

In its ruling on April 21, 2026, the appellate court held that the application did not establish any exceptional circumstances to justify halting the proceedings, effectively allowing the trial to continue.

As a result, the substantive case remains active at the High Court, which is expected to proceed unless further legal action is taken.

Lead counsel for Wontumi indicated that the defence team is considering its next steps, which may include seeking redress at the Supreme Court of Ghana or continuing with the defence at the High Court, depending on their legal strategy.