General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Justin Kodua Frimpong has assured the NPP that they have enough lawyers to defend officials of the party and the previous government if they are arrested and taken to court. Kodua Frimpong said this while addressing the public on the release of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra on Monday, June 2.
“NPP will demonstrate that we have solid lawyers to defend our officials,” he stated. Chairman Wontumi’s lawyer, Kwame Andy Appiah Kubi, also told journalists that they met all the bail conditions, leading to the release of Chairman Wontumi. “Chairman Wontumi has been released. He is here with me,” he said, pointing to the embattled Wontumi. The release of the vocal NPP stalwart was greeted with cheers by supporters of the party gathered in front of the EOCO office.
They chanted party slogans amid shouts. Chairman Wontumi was granted bail to the tune of GH₵50 million with two sureties to be justified following his arrest on Tuesday, May 27. Although officials of EOCO had not formally charged him, the Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem Sai revealed in a post on Facebook that he was being investigated in connection with money laundering among others.
“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 larger 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.”
By: Laud Nartey
