The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has arrested Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who is commonly known as Chairman Wontumi. This occurred following his visit to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters on Tuesday, May 27. Sources close to the situation confirm that Chairman Wontumi had initially appeared at the CID to assist with ongoing investigations before being taken into custody by EOCO officials for further questioning.
The details of the investigation are currently undisclosed, and his legal team has yet to comment on the situation. Chairman Wontumi was officially cautioned on Monday, May 26, for allegedly conducting mining operations without a license, polluting water bodies, and unlawfully entering a forest reserve. In a press release issued on that day, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) confirmed that Mr. Antwi-Boasiako had reported to the CID Headquarters in Accra earlier at noon, accompanied by a legal team led by former Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame.
According to the statement, Wontumi cooperated fully with investigators and submitted a formal statement. He was subsequently granted bail with instructions to return for further questioning on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Chairman Wontumi has denied involvement in illegal mining and reports linking him to a controversial payment from COCOBOD. Speaking to journalists after his interrogation by the CID on Monday, he firmly defended his innocence on both fronts, stating he had complied fully with legal requirements regarding his mining operations.
By: Jonathan Adjei