Accra: Lawyers of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have announced that they have successfully met the bail conditions set by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), but a new legal complication is preventing his release.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Lead Counsel, Mr. Andy Appiah-Kubi, stated that all necessary documentation for the two sureties had been completed. Significant support came from Mr. Brian Acheampong, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture, which helped meet the GH?50 million bail condition. The legal team is working swiftly to resolve the new court matter, with hopes that the issue could be cleared by Monday, June 2, to facilitate the release of Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
Mr. Appiah-Kubi revealed in a media interview that although EOCO officials were ready to proceed with the inspection of the properties listed by the sureties, a pending court application legally restrained them from moving forward until the matter was resolved. He assured that the sureties had been provided and expressed confidence that the difficulties would be resolved by Monday, allowing the process to continue smoothly.
The lead counsel also addressed confusion over Chairman Wontumi's whereabouts, contradicting earlier claims by the NPP leadership that they were unaware of his location. He dismissed rumours of a hunger strike and confirmed that Wontumi was receiving medical care.
Efforts to arrange a meeting between Chairman Wontumi and former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia were impacted by logistical challenges due to crowd control issues. Dr. Bawumia, speaking outside the National Intelligence Bureau Headquarters in Accra, expressed disappointment over the NPP leadership's inability to meet with the Ashanti Regional Chairman, despite prior arrangements to check on him during his four-day custody following his arrest by EOCO.
Chairman Wontumi is under investigation for criminal offences, including fraud, causing financial loss to the State, and money laundering. His arrest followed a summons by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service on May 27.
