The Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Joseph Whittal, has asserted that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) acted lawfully in the arrest of NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Speaking in an interview during an official visit by Minister of State for Public Reforms, Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, Whittal confirmed that EOCO adhered to legal procedures while carrying out its mandate.
“EOCO administratively did the right thing. Any of us is subject to an arrest at any given time and they have the power of the police. They arrested him, they granted him bail within 48 hours,” he explained.
He further clarified that the conditions of bail set at GHC50 million were determined by the nature and gravity of the charges.
“The gravity of the charges will determine the size of the bail. And so, once the charges are not out nobody can assert wrongdoing. So I want to believe that they did the right thing,” he added.
Whittal also criticized the gathering of Wontumi’s supporters at EOCO’s premises during his detention, arguing that there was no need for such mass action.
He noted that Wontumi’s legal team had also acknowledged EOCO’s proper handling of the case.
“I think his lawyer kept saying that EOCO has done well. They’ve done nothing that we should take them on. Did we need to mass up here? I don’t think Ghanaians needed to mass up here. When somebody is undergoing a normal constitutional process of arrest and investigation. I think the arrest was lawful, the period in which they granted bail was within the 48 hours,” he remarked.
Chairman Wontumi was arrested and detained by EOCO as part of an ongoing investigation. Although he was granted bail set at GHC50 million, he was unable to meet the conditions immediately, resulting in his extended stay in custody for up to a week.
After fulfilling the bail requirements, Wontumi was officially released.
