Bernard Antwi-Boasiako
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, has been granted bail following his arrest by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Mr. Andy Appiah-Kubi, lawyer for Wontumi, who confirmed the development on the matter in an interview on Neat FM yesterday in Accra, said although bail was granted late Tuesday night, the legal team was unable to fulfil the bail conditions in time, leaving his client in custody overnight on Tuesday.
According to Mr. Appiah-Kubi, his client felt sick during the interrogation and had to seek medical attention at a hospital under EOCO’s supervision.
Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE learnt that Chairman Wontumi has been granted a bail condition after meeting all the processes by his legal team yesterday at EOCO’s office in Accra.
He also dismissed reports suggesting that his client was mishandled by EOCO officers, as he commended the officers particularly, the Executive Director, Raymond Archer, for their “exceptional  professional conduct towards them’’ during the entire process.
Chairman Wontumi was officially cautioned last Monday for his alleged involvement in illegal mining operations through his company Akonta Mining, in a forest reserve without a license as well as polluting water bodies.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman’s appearance at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police Service on Monday, May 26, 2025, follows a failed attempt by a team of National Security operatives and police officers who had stormed his residence to arrest him.
Police CID, in a press release on Monday, said Mr. Antwi-Boasiako in the company of his lawyers wrote a formal statement for his alleged involvement in illegal mining operations, and was subsequently granted bail with two sureties.
Mr. Antwi-Boasiako, later in an interview with journalists, denied the allegations levelled against him and said he has over the years been engaged in responsible mining.
Apart from the National Organiser of the NPP, Henry Nana Boakye, the General Secretary of the party, Justin Kodua Frimpong, other individuals including the former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Titus Glover, described the actions by the NDC as politically motivated and an attempt by the ruling government to use state institutions to intimidate political opponents.
Mr. Antwi-Boasiako’s Akonta Mining lease was terminated last month by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, though he has made an attempt to challenge that in court.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah