Why Is Henry Okum Free While Wontumi Is in Jail? – NPP Youth Leader Questions Verdict

The Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yahya Salifu, has questioned why businessman Henry Okum remains free while Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is serving a 20-year prison sentence, describing the situation as selective justice.

Addressing a phone interview with Kojo Preko Dankwa on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Salifu said party members were deeply saddened by Wontumi’s conviction, explaining that the event was organized to register their displeasure over the court’s decision.
“We were grieved to hear that Chairman Wontumi had been given a 20-year jail term. That is why we organized this press conference to demonstrate our displeasure,” he said.

Salifu also endorsed comments previously made by the NPP’s General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, who described Wontumi as a political prisoner.
He argued that if Wontumi had been found guilty, then Henry Okum – whom he alleged admitted involvement in illegal mining activities—should also face prosecution.
“If Wontumi is guilty, then Henry Okum should also be found guilty and jailed,” Salifu stated.

According to him, Okum was “home eating fufu” on the day Wontumi was sentenced despite his alleged involvement in the matter.
The NPP youth organizer further claimed that legal experts had explained that holders of large-scale mining concessions are legally permitted to authorize third parties to operate or extract minerals from their concessions.
He maintained that Wontumi possessed genuine documentation covering the mining concession in question and questioned why Okum, whom he described as a third party, appeared to have been left out of the prosecution after allegedly entering a plea bargain.

Salifu concluded that the circumstances surrounding the case raise concerns about equal application of the law and called for all persons connected to the matter to be treated fairly under Ghana’s justice system.

By Maurice Otoo