A heated exchange erupted at an Accra High Court on Tuesday when Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai and defense lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi, representing Bernard Antwi Boasiako, sparred over seniority at the bar. The confrontation briefly threatened to spill into a physical altercation before the bench restored order.
The dispute arose as the court scheduled March 16 to rule on whether Boasiako’s “submission of no case” a legal maneuver seeking dismissal of charges would stand. Defense lawyers requested additional time to study the prosecution’s response, but the Deputy Attorney General countered that the filing would have no bearing on the ruling and urged the court to dismiss the application outright.
Antwi Bosiako a.k.a Chairman Wontumi, is facing trial for allegedly conducting mining operations in the Samraboi forest without a permit. The case has drawn national attention amid growing concerns over illegal mining and environmental degradation.
In a separate development, the Office of the Special Prosecutor announced it had dropped charges against Albert Ankrah, the fourth accused in a sprawling 291 million cedi scandal involving the National Petroleum Authority. Prosecutors informed the court that Ankrah would instead serve as a witness in proceedings against former NPA chief executive Mustapha Hamid and nine others.
