Former Vice President and 2024 NPP flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin were denied access to Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, at the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) headquarters in Accra.
Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is being held at the NIB following his detention by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as part of an ongoing investigation into serious crimes, including fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering.
Despite being granted permission to enter the NIB premises, Dr. Bawumia and Afenyo-Markin were unable to meet with Wontumi due to what the NIB described as a large crowd.
“We wanted to see him and see how he was doing. Unfortunately, the NIB and EOCO feel that the crowd is such that they are unable to bring him here at the moment,” Dr. Bawumia said.
Dr. Bawumia is reportedly leading efforts to meet the GH₵50 million bail conditions imposed by EOCO, which require two justified sureties. However, those conditions have yet to be met, leaving Wontumi in continued detention.
The case has sparked political controversy, with Minority MPs staging a protest march from Parliament to EOCO headquarters, demanding Wontumi’s immediate release. However, they returned to Parliament the following day, ending their brief boycott.
Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Justice Srem-Sai, has confirmed that Wontumi is under investigation for serious crimes, with EOCO leading the investigation and asset recovery measures underway to secure suspected proceeds of crime.