The political storm surrounding the detention of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has taken a dramatic turn as the Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem-Sai, disclosed that the NPP stalwart is a key suspect in a high-stakes international crime investigation.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, May 28, Justice Srem-Sai revealed for the first time that Wontumi is facing multiple serious criminal allegations—including fraud, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state. The Deputy A-G said the probe is not limited to Ghana, but is linked to an international web of organised crime under active investigation by Ghanaian authorities in collaboration with global law enforcement agencies.
“Suspect Bernard Antwi Boasiako… is under investigation for various criminal offences. The criminal investigation is running concurrently with asset recovery processes,” he wrote, justifying the stringent bail conditions imposed by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
This official clarification comes in the wake of heightened political agitation, with Minority Members of Parliament—ironically from Wontumi’s own NPP—staging a dramatic protest outside EOCO’s Accra headquarters on Thursday. They decried what they called “harsh and unjustified” bail conditions and accused state agencies of politically motivated persecution.
Wontumi, who was arrested on Tuesday after a CID summons, remains in custody after failing to meet a GH¢50 million bail requirement, which includes two sureties to be justified. His lawyer, Andy Appiah Kubi, confirmed the charges relate to allegations of financial loss to the state.
While EOCO has yet to comment officially, the Deputy Attorney-General’s remarks point to a far more complex case than previously assumed, with potential repercussions beyond Ghana’s borders. The stringent bail terms, Srem-Sai explained, are part of a strategic effort to prevent the dissipation of suspected criminal assets during the investigation.
The case, already stirring fierce political debate, is now shaping up to be one of the most significant anti-corruption investigations in recent memory—potentially implicating cross-border networks and raising the stakes for both legal and political institutions in Ghana.
