Prominent legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has criticized the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for what he describes as a lack of transparency surrounding the arrest and detention of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Kpebu, expressing his views via social media, took issue with EOCO’s failure to provide clear public communication regarding the charges facing the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who has now spent several days in custody.
He pointed out that with EOCO being headed by journalist Raymond Archer, expectations for timely and open dissemination of information should be higher. “By now, EOCO should have informed us why Wontumi is being charged. Raymond Archer is a journalist; he should know that a lack of information in such a case is not ideal,” Kpebu stated, adding that the agency has failed in its duty to keep the public informed.
In response to the mounting criticism, the Deputy Attorney General took to social media to shed more light on the case. He disclosed that Wontumi is under investigation for serious financial crimes, including fraud, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state. Additionally, he revealed that EOCO is working with international partners on a second, broader investigation into transnational organized crime.
Despite being granted bail set at GHC 50 million with two sureties, Chairman Wontumi remains in custody. Sources indicate that an ongoing application to vary the bail conditions stalled EOCO’s assessment of property presented by Bryan Acheampong, who had stepped in to secure the bail.
As pressure mounts on EOCO to clarify its actions, the case continues to spark debate over due process, transparency, and political accountability in high-profile financial crime investigations.
