Member of Parliament for Abetifi, Dr. Bryan Acheampong has successfully secured the ¢50m bail conditions placed on the embattled Ashanti Regional Chairman for the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, widely known as Wontumi.
In a video intercepted by Republic Online, Lawyer for Wontumi, Andy Appiah Kubi Esq, admitted that Dr. Bryan Acheampong has provided all the necessary documents and that the EOCO are currently verifying the procedure.
“He’s wholly good, he’s very healthy and nothing to worry about in respect to his health. We have been able to secure the sureties, that one I can assure you and I’m very grateful to Dr. Bryan Acheampong who has supported me to file the documents, he has brought his documents which even goes over and above the value of money that is required so I thank him very much”, the counsel stated.
Asked whether or not his client would be released overnight, Lawyer Appiah Kubi indicated that there are legal challenges confronting Wontumi’s release even though the bail conditions have been met.
“Obviously no. I told you that we encountered a challenge. A challenge that needs to be addressed before we can go forward. In fact they have agreed to do the inspection of the bail documents tonight, all the officers are there but the challenge that I face is legal. But I’m grateful to them, they waited to have the documents and do the inspection afterwards but there’s a legal issue, unknown to me, there was an application to frustrate what we’re doing so we will deal with it on Monday. But it’s an application that was not filed by my good self but that prohibits us from working. Hopefully by Monday if this application is withdrawn then we will proceed to what we’re doing“,
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, now a suspect in the hands of security operatives in the country is under investigation for various criminal offences (including fraud, causing financial loss to the State, and money laundering).
According to a post shared by the Deputy Attorney General and minister for Justice, Justice Srem Sai on his X account on Thursday , May 29, the criminal investigation is running concurrently with asset recovery processes – to prevent further dissipation of what law enforcement agencies strongly suspect to be proceeds of crime.
“The suspect is also under a second strand of investigation which is part of a lager international organised crime scheme. The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is assiduously working with our international law enforcement partners on this second strand of criminal investigations“, parts of the post said.
EOCO admitted Wontumi to bail in the sum of GH¢50 million with two sureties to be justified. However, he’s failed to meet the conditions and has since been held hostage.
Wontumi was picked up by officers from the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) after an earlier interaction with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Tuesday, May 27.
Chairman Wontumi had earlier been at the CID headquarters for further Interrogation over an alleged illegal mining activities and mining in forest reserves without permit.
He was directed to reappear after he turned himself in on Monday, May 26, as part of his bail conditions.
The exact cause for his re-arrest remains a mystery, although EOCO is yet to issue an official statement to that effect.
Heavy Military presence as NPP supporters mass – up at EOCO Headquarters
An Armed officers from the Ghana Army were deployed to man the head office of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Ghana’s capital, Accra, following the detention of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bernard Antwi-Boasiako.
Wontumi taken to hospital following EOCO’s detention
Addressing a team of journalists and a charged NPP party supporters, Wontumi’s lawyer, Andy Appiah-Kubi, revealed that his client had been taken to the hospital shortly after his arrest.
While the specific health concerns were not disclosed, the lawyer confirmed that medical attention was necessary.
Appiah-Kubi further disclosed that while they were at the EOCO offices, they were served with a writ of summons from EXIM Bank.
However, he did not delve into the contents of the summons, saying the details were yet to be made public.
