Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the former vice president and 2024 NPP flagbearer, is aggressively working to obtain bail for Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Since Tuesday, May 27, Chairman Wontumi has been detained by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) while inquiries into claims of money laundering, fraud, and financial loss to the state are ongoing.
He was given GHS 50 million in bond on Wednesday, May 28, but he hasn’t been able to fulfill the terms of the bail, therefore he is still being held.
Minority MPs have publicly protested and boycotted parliament in response to the political issue surrounding the NPP regional chairman’s protracted imprisonment. They have criticized the bail terms as being excessive and politically motivated.
In an interview with Citi News, Divine Agorhom, the NPP’s Greater Accra Regional Chairman, affirmed that Dr. Bawumia and other top party officials are working to obtain Wontumi’s release.
If EOCO does not amend the bail terms, he said, the party is also looking at legal possibilities.
As the NPP leadership mobilizes resources and pursues legal and diplomatic avenues to gain the release of one of its most senior regional leaders, the crisis continues to spark discussion across the political spectrum.