CDD-Ghana Fellow and renowned legal scholar, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, has called for a full, independent probe into the disappearance and subsequent resurfacing of the Akonta Mining docket, describing it as a litmus test for Ghana’s commitment to justice and the rule of law.
According to Prof. Asare, the reemergence of the docket, which had mysteriously vanished for years, exposes the deep institutional decay and political interference undermining Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
“The sudden resurfacing of the Akonta docket is a window into how law enforcement and justice grind to a halt whenever the powerful are under the spotlight, ” he remarked, warning that the missing docket saga highlights the extent to which justice can be manipulated when politically connected individuals are involved.
“Dockets do not vanish by themselves. They are buried, hidden, or made to disappear by human hands. And until we find those hands, our fight against galamsey will remain a charade dressed as a crusade.”
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare
For years, successive governments have declared galamsey a national emergency, citing the destruction of forests and rivers and the poisoning of water bodies with mercury.
However, Prof. Asare argued that these environmental damages could not have reached such alarming levels without institutional complicity. “The destruction in the bush could never have been so devastating without the silent complicity of our institutions,” he asserted.
The legal scholar noted that the Akonta case, now revived under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration offers painful clarity into how power shields wrongdoing.
2022 Investigations
He referenced events from 2022, when then-Lands Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor publicly declared that Akonta Mining was operating illegally in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, while then-President Nana Akufo-Addo defended the company, insisting that it was not engaged in illegal mining anywhere in Ghana.
“The contradiction was never resolved, and now we know why. The very docket that could have told the nation who was right, who lied, and who must be punished was buried. Justice was not delayed; it was silenced.”
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare
His comments follow recent revelations by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, who disclosed during a meeting between President Mahama and civil society organizations that the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had indeed conducted a comprehensive investigation into Akonta Mining’s alleged illegal activities.
However, the report was hidden until it resurfaced two months ago when his office reopened investigations. Dr. Ayine expressed shock at the disappearance and the inaction of the previous administration despite the CID’s “excellent work.”
Since the discovery, the Attorney-General’s Office has filed two separate criminal charges against the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and his company, Akonta Mining, for breaching Ghana’s mining laws.
Prosecuting Wontumi and Akonta not Enough
For Prof. Asare, while prosecuting Akonta Mining is a positive step, it cannot be regarded as justice until the truth about the missing docket is uncovered.
“Prosecuting Akonta without also uncovering why the docket went missing is like patching a leaking roof while the foundation crumbles. It may look like progress, but it leaves the rot untouched”.
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare
He further cautioned that unless the disappearance of the file is properly investigated, the ongoing trial risks becoming a performance rather than a pursuit of justice. “Until we know who buried the file and why, any trial that follows risks becoming performance — justice staged for optics rather than rooted in truth,” he said.
The CDD-Ghana Fellow emphasized that the case exposes how deeply entrenched impunity has become within Ghana’s justice system. “A system that can hide a docket can just as easily hide the truth in court,” he wrote, questioning whether Ghana is truly committed to the rule of law or simply performing it for appearances.
“Who hid it? Why was it hidden? Who benefited from its disappearance? These are not rhetorical questions. They test whether we are serious about the rule of law or merely performing it”.
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare
He further criticized the selective nature of Ghana’s fight against galamsey, pointing out that those at the top of the chain often escape scrutiny.
“We cannot keep blaming the small miner in the bush when the real mine is the file room. The true excavators wear suits, not boots. They dig not for gold but for cover. They operate not in the forest but in the offices where evidence sleeps” .
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare
He maintained that the disappearance of the Akonta docket is more than administrative negligence; it is a moral and institutional failure that undermines public confidence in the justice system. “The missing docket is more than a lost file. It is a mirror reflecting how far our institutions have drifted from courage and how easily truth is traded for convenience,” he said.
Prof. Asare therefore called for an independent probe to trace every step the docket took during its disappearance, including every signature and individual involved. “Let the Akonta docket be our line in the sand. We must demand an independent probe. Trace every signature, every hand that touched it, every desk it passed,” he urged.
He concluded that until the individuals responsible for burying the Akonta docket are exposed and punished, Ghana’s fight against illegal mining will remain selective and insincere. “Until we do, we will remain a country that wages war on galamsey by day and protects its sponsors by night,” he concluded.
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