A delegation NPP leaders led by Dr Bawumia were denied access to Chairman Wontumi

The National Investigation Bureau (NIB) denied former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and other New Patriotic Party (NPP) leaders access to the detained Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, citing the need for authorization from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin disclosed this after a meeting with NIB officials at their Ridge office on Friday, May 30.

Dr Bawumia, Afenyo-Markin, and an entourage of NPP leaders had visited the NIB to check on Chairman Wontumi’s welfare, who has been in EOCO’s custody since Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

Afenyo-Markin revealed that NIB officials informed them that Chairman Wontumi was not at the Ridge premises but was being held at their Kawukudi office. The officials stated that access to Wontumi could only be granted upon authorization from EOCO.

“Well, all those arrangements were made, and upon getting here, they came to tell us a different story. We will keep to it, and I find it very worrying that in a country like Ghana, someone would demand GH₵50 million before they grant enquiry bail,” Afenyo-Markin said.

He expressed frustration, noting, “Not at all, he is nowhere to be found. They claim they could not bring him here, and he is still in the custody of NIB at their Kawukudi office. They claim until EOCO authorizes, we cannot see him.”

Afenyo-Markin also criticized the arrest of Chairman Wontumi as a “show of power” by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), suggesting it was an attempt to assert dominance. “They just want to teach Wontumi where power lies,” he told journalists after the visit.

Dr Bawumia echoed concerns about the GH₵50 million bail condition imposed on Wontumi, questioning its feasibility.

“I don’t know how many people in Ghana have properties worth 50 million,” he said, believing the condition was designed to prevent Wontumi’s timely release.

He assured that the NPP would pursue legal avenues to ensure Wontumi’s release.

Chairman Wontumi was transferred from EOCO’s headquarters to the NIB office on Friday, May 30, as part of ongoing investigations into alleged criminal offenses, including fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering.

Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai has indicated that a second phase of the investigation links Wontumi to a wider international organized crime syndicate.