The 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has expressed disappointment after he and other party officials were unable to visit the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, who is currently in custody.

Dr. Bawumia addressed the media outside the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) headquarters in Accra on Friday, May 30, 2025. He stated that the party had made prior arrangements to meet Wontumi but were informed that the security agencies could not grant access due to the large crowd present.

“We had made arrangements to see our chairman, who is currently in the custody of EOCO. Unfortunately, we are here, but the NIB and EOCO feel that the crowd is such that they are not able to bring him here at the moment. We are very disappointed in our inability to see him because we had made prior arrangements,” Bawumia said.

The former Vice President also criticised the GHS50 million bail condition set for Wontumi, describing it as excessive and a possible attempt to delay his release.

“The bail conditions are very onerous. I don’t know how many people in Ghana can meet a GHS50 million requirement with justified property. I believe this was set just to prevent his timely release,” he added.

He urged party supporters to remain calm while the NPP leadership works through legal channels to secure Wontumi’s release.

“We are going to follow due process and ensure that he is released as soon as possible. I want to plead with all of you to remain calm and not take the law into your own hands,” he said.

Several Members of Parliament and senior party officials were seen at the NIB headquarters, seeking access to Wontumi.

Reports indicate that Chairman Wontumi was first arrested on Tuesday, May 27, by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. He was later handed over to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), which granted him bail on Wednesday, May 28. However, he has yet to meet the conditions, which include two justified sureties.

Wontumi was subsequently transferred to the NIB as legal and political efforts continue to secure his release.

Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Justice Srem Sai, has disclosed that Wontumi is under investigation for alleged offences including fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering.

Dr. Srem Sai further revealed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is collaborating with international law enforcement partners on a broader criminal investigation involving Wontumi.

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