In a bold demonstration against what they allege is politically motivated targeting, members of Parliament from the Minority Caucus on Thursday, May 29, staged a sit-in protest at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) headquarters in Accra, decrying the continued detention of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi.
Dressed in protest colours of red and black, the MPs marched from Parliament to EOCO’s offices, chanting slogans and calling for what they termed “justice and respect for due process.” The action caused major traffic disruptions and attracted a heavy police presence, turning the quiet Central Accra office area into a political flashpoint.
Leading the charge was Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who accused EOCO of straying from its professional mandate and succumbing to political influence. “This is not just about Wontumi,” he said. “It’s about protecting our democracy from the creeping threat of state institutions being used as tools for political witch-hunts.”
The protest follows Wontumi’s arrest by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on May 27, in connection with alleged financial improprieties linked to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIMBANK). Although EOCO granted him bail the following day, the requirement of two justified sureties and a GH₵50 million bond remains unmet—keeping him in custody.
The MPs insist that the bail terms are excessive and unreasonable. “This is punitive, not procedural,” argued one MP at the protest. “Why impose a condition so difficult to meet unless the goal is to punish before trial?”
NPP National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye also joined in the criticism, claiming that EOCO’s actions reflected a disturbing trend of politicised investigations. “We are seeing EOCO lose its credibility before our eyes,” he said.
Despite mounting political pressure, EOCO has remained tight-lipped, offering no public comment on the status of the case or the reasoning behind the bail conditions.
Behind the scenes, sources close to the investigation suggest that Wontumi is being probed over high-stakes financial dealings involving state funds and possible connections to illicit mining ventures.
As his legal team scrambles to meet the bail conditions, Thursday’s protest has transformed the case from a legal matter into a symbolic political flashpoint, raising broader concerns about justice, partisanship, and the balance of power within Ghana’s democratic institutions.
