Former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, will have to wait a little longer to know the fate of his bail application.

The High Court has adjourned the hearing of his bail application to October 15, 2026, after the former NPP chairman and his lawyers failed to appear in court for the scheduled proceedings.

Chairman Wontumi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for illegal mining, and his legal team is seeking bail as the legal battle surrounding his case continues.

proceedings could not go ahead as scheduled because Wontumi and his lead counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, were absent from court.

The NPP Director of Legal Affairs, Gary Nimako, was present in court during the proceedings.

The court clerk subsequently informed the parties that the trial judge was unavailable and would not be sitting during the week.

In view of the judge’s absence, the court could not proceed with the bail application and subsequently adjourned the matter to October 15, 2026.

The latest development means Wontumi’s lawyers will have to wait until the new date to formally move their application seeking his release pending the outcome of his appeal.

Wontumi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence imposed by the Accra High Court following his conviction on illegal mining-related offences.

His legal team challenged the conviction and sentence and is seeking bail for him while the appeal process is ongoing.

The bail application is therefore separate from the substantive appeal, as the immediate request before the court is for Wontumi to be released from custody pending the final determination of the appeal.

For now, however, the courtroom doors have closed on his latest bail hearing, with October 15 now the next date on the calendar.