The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Justice Srem-Sai, has broken his silence on the controversial detention of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, revealing that the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is under investigation for alleged serious criminal offences, including fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, 28 May 2025, Justice Srem-Sai disclosed that the investigations are not limited to local criminal activities but also form part of a wider international organised crime probe, being undertaken in collaboration with global law enforcement partners.

“Suspect Bernard Antwi Boasiako, a.k.a. Chairman Wontumi, is under investigation for various criminal offences… 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 Deputy Attorney-General wrote.

He further explained that a second strand of the investigation is part of a “larger international organised crime scheme,” with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) actively working alongside international agencies.

This public clarification from the Deputy A-G comes hours after Minority NPP Members of Parliament staged a walkout from the House and marched to the headquarters of EOCO in Accra to protest what they described as harsh bail conditions imposed on their party stalwart.

Chairman Wontumi was reportedly held overnight after failing to meet a GH¢50 million bail condition set by EOCO in connection with the ongoing investigations.

For more than three hours on Thursday, NPP MPs and party executives picketed outside EOCO’s premises, demanding the review of what they considered unjust bail conditions and insisting that Wontumi's detention was politically motivated.

However, the Deputy Attorney-General’s statement provides the first official insight into the depth and seriousness of the charges facing the Ashanti NPP Chairman, essentially justifying EOCO’s caution in releasing the suspect.

The bail terms, which include significant financial and legal obligations, appear to be part of efforts to ensure that suspected illicit assets are not lost or moved during the investigation.

Meanwhile, EOCO has maintained its silence on the political fallout.

Chairman Wontumi was arrested by EOCO on Tuesday, May 27, after he reported to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for questioning. He was subsequently held at the EOCO head office in Accra.

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His lawyer, Andy Appiah Kubi, confirmed that his client was being investigated on allegations of causing financial loss to the state.

He was subsequently granted bail of GH¢50 million with two sureties, both to be justified.

Chairman Wontumi, however, spent the night behind bars at the EOCO headquarters in Accra after failing to meet the full bail conditions.

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