The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has revealed that his office rejected multiple offers for a plea deal in the ongoing case involving the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

According to Dr Ayine, the Attorney-General’s Department has adopted a firm policy requiring all plea negotiations to take place before the court, rather than through private arrangements with the prosecution.

Chairman Wontumi, together with Kwame Antwi, a director of Akonta Mining, and the company itself, is currently facing two separate charges of illegal mining (galamsey) before the High Court in Accra.

Speaking during the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, October 22, Dr Ayine reaffirmed his commitment to accountability and the protection of public resources, stressing that his office will not compromise on the rule of law or yield to political or external influence.

“I want to let you know that I am under no pressure from any quarters to cut any deals,” Dr Ayine stated. “Mr President, who is my boss, has never put pressure on me. On the contrary, when I brief him, he gives me his blessing. He does not even express an opinion one way or the other. He simply says, ‘Dominic, I’ve heard you.’”

Dr Ayine further emphasized that no senior government official—including the Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, or the President’s Legal Counsel—has ever pressured him to reach a settlement.

“Offers have been made, and I have turned all of them down,” he added. “I have told everyone: please go to court. If you want a plea deal, announce your intention before the judge. That is now my strategy.”

The Attorney-General concluded by reaffirming his office’s resolve to pursue diligent and watertight prosecutions as part of government’s broader commitment to transparency, justice, and accountability.