The Member of Parliament for Effiduase Asokore, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, has disclosed that senior figures within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are preparing to visit President John Dramani Mahama to offer a formal apology on behalf of the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi.
Chairman Wontumi is currently under investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over allegations of financial misconduct, including money laundering and fraud.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, Dr. Ayew Afriyie suggested that President Mahama might be influencing the legal troubles facing Wontumi.
“For Chairman Wontumi’s case, we’re going to beg. The hand behind this is bigger than the people who run the EOCO and the intelligence agencies. I will put it at the doorstep of President Mahama. Wontumi went overboard in some of his videos. And I played a lot of them to show him on June 9. I told him we will go and beg, if we have to kneel down in front of President Mahama, and we will tell him that for these videos, he [Wontumi] crossed the line,” he stated.
Dr. Afriyie admitted that some of Chairman Wontumi’s previous remarks—particularly those shared in viral videos ahead of the 2024 elections—were offensive and overly personal. He added that Wontumi had agreed to issue an apology.
He emphasised that while political competition is normal, personal attacks rooted in falsehoods should not be tolerated, and urged NPP leaders to demonstrate humility in resolving the matter.
Wontumi was released after his legal team, on Monday, June 2, 2025, formally withdrew a motion that sought a review of his GH¢50 million bail condition.
The motion, originally filed at the High Court in Accra on May 30, 2025, was slated for hearing on Tuesday, June 3. However, it was withdrawn a day earlier on Monday, June 2, 2025.
The legal team argues that the current terms are excessively punitive, making it practically impossible for their client to secure release.
Andy Appiah-Kubi, a leading member of the defence team and Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North, confirmed that “all legal options are being explored.”
He added that a second surety is now available to back the bail application, potentially paving the way for Wontumi’s release if the court grants the variation.
EOCO’s arrest comes under scrutiny
Appiah-Kubi questioned the legitimacy of EOCO’s actions, stating that the agency failed to issue any formal invitation before taking Wontumi into custody.
He emphasised that Wontumi has already honoured an invitation from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, where he is being investigated for allegedly engaging in mining operations without a license.
While the CID’s investigation is ongoing, EOCO is separately pursuing a case against Wontumi for allegedly causing financial loss to the state in connection with an undisclosed transaction.
The nature of the financial infractions has not been made public, but the charges have ignited widespread political controversy and raised questions about the timing and motivation behind the arrest.
