Prosecutors in the illegal mining trial have finished presenting evidence, and the defence now wants a key witness recalled before the case moves forward.
The state has wrapped up its evidence in the criminal case against Akonta Mining Company Limited and two other accused persons, bringing the trial to a turning point.
The Accra Criminal Court heard the matter on Monday, where prosecutors working with investigators from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service formally closed the Republic's case.
Who testified
According to reporting by the Ghanaian Times, the prosecution relied on three witnesses in total.
Two of them are former employees of Akonta Mining Company Limited. Their testimony focused on the role the state says Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako played in the company's alleged illegal mining operations inside the Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve.
The third witness was a detective from the Ghana Police Service. He tendered drone footage, other audio-visual material and official correspondence, which the prosecution presented as backing for what the two former staff members told the court.
Forest reserves in Ghana are protected areas managed by the state, and mining within them is tightly restricted. Allegations of mining inside reserves such as Tano-Nimiri sit at the centre of the wider national debate over galamsey, the local term for illegal small-scale mining.
What the defence argued
During cross-examination, lawyers for the accused persons worked to put distance between their clients and any mining activity in the Tano-Nimiri Forest Reserve. The defence position, as put to the witnesses, was that the accused had no connection to operations there.
After the prosecution closed, counsel for the accused asked the judge for permission to bring the first prosecution witness back into the box for further questioning.
Next steps and dates
The court did not rule on that request immediately. Instead, the defence was given until Friday, October 30, to file a formal motion seeking to recall the witness or witnesses.
The case has been adjourned to November 4, when that motion is expected to be argued.
If the court refuses the application, the trial would normally move to the stage where the defence decides how to answer the case the state has built. If the application succeeds, the first prosecution witness would return for additional cross-examination before proceedings advance.
Why it matters
For Ghanaians at home and abroad following the galamsey question, this is one of the more closely watched prosecutions involving a named mining company and a forest reserve. How the court handles the recall application will shape how quickly the trial reaches a verdict.
Nothing has been proven at this stage. The accused persons have denied involvement through their lawyers, and the court has not made any findings on the evidence presented so far.
