Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako says he disagrees with calls by the Ghana Catholic Bishops for government to prosecute owners of Akonta mining Limited for illegal mining.
The owner of Akonta Mining Limited in an interview on an Accra based radio station, stated that he is saddened the Catholic Bishops didn’t invite him to hear his side of the story before making the false claims he is into galamsey.
According to him, when he was falsely accused of operating a galamsey business, he collaborated with the Office of the Special Prosecutor and handed over documents which shows he does legal mining just like other large scale miners are doing in Ghana.
Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi expressed disappointment in the Catholic Bishops for not doing a diligent work of investigating the his case before making the false accusation.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops after their plenary assembly in Donkokrom in the Eastern Region, called on government to go after financiers of illegal mining.
“One critical example is the call for prosecution of the owners of Akonta mining Limited, among others who have been accused by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, confirmed by the Minerals Commission and reported in the media”, a part of their statement read.
But Chairman Wontumi advised the Bishops to keep in mind that “not everything that is thrown on the airwaves is true.”
“I disagree with them when they say Akonta mining is into galamsey. I am a Catholic and I expected them to call me to hear my side of the story. I could have shown them my documents…Paul said he didn’t want to be a burden so he used his hand to work. I (Wontumi) don’t want to be a burden on the church so I work harder with my hand”, Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi said.
Chairman Wontumi explained that he is a law abiding citizen and for that reason, ensures that his mining company obeys every directive from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Minerals Commission when it comes to mining operations.
He noted that tagging his operations as galamsey is equal to calling all other large scale miners in Ghana galamsey operators.