The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Council is seeking to vary the bail conditions for its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Divine Agorhom, NPP’s Greater Accra Regional Chairman, disclosed this in a May 30, 2025, interview with CitiNews, stating that the party leadership, led by former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Minority caucus are working to secure Wontumi’s release.
Agorhom revealed that the party will explore legal options if EOCO doesn’t revise the bail terms, considering the current situation.
“It is not only His Excellency Dr Mahamudu Bawumia but every senior party person. We are all involved trying to see what we can do. We are hoping that the EOCO itself will be able to vary the condition and make it a bit more lenient for us to meet,” Agorhom said.
“If that is not the case, my understanding is that the council is considering legal avenues to vary the conditions. If all that fails, then we can’t allow Chairman to be there. We will have to pull resources and see what we can do to get him out,” he disclosed.
He reiterated that all the party leaders are involved in making trying to secure the bail for Wontumi.
“Not only His Excellency the Former Vice President, but all other leading members, including our caucus in Parliament and the national leadership. They are all involved in finding a solution,” he added.
Wontumi was arrested by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, shortly after leaving the CID office at the Ghana Police Service headquarters.
He was granted GHC50 million bail with two sureties, one to be justified, but was detained in custody because the conditions couldn’t be met.
Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, explained on his Facebook page on Thursday, May 29, why Wontumi was being held at the EOCO headquarters.
“Suspect BERNARD ANTWI BOASIAKO, a.k.a. Chairman Wontumi, is under investigation for various criminal offences (including fraud, causing financial loss to the State, and money laundering),” he wrote.
Dr Srem-Sai added that, “The criminal investigation is running concurrently with asset recovery processes – to prevent further dissipation of what law enforcement agencies strongly suspect to be proceeds of crime.
“The suspect is also under a second strand of investigation which is part of a lager international organised crime scheme. The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is assiduously working with our international law enforcement partners on this second strand of criminal investigations.”
The Minority in Parliament staged a walkout from the chamber on Thursday and protested outside the EOCO premises, demanding more lenient bail conditions for Wontumi.
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