Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to immediately release Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on self-recognisance bail.
On Thursday, Afenyo-Markin led a delegation of Minority MPs to EOCO to show solidarity with Wontumi. He strongly condemned the manner in which Wontumi was arrested and criticized the bail conditions set by EOCO, labeling them excessive and unjust.
“Wontumi should be freed immediately. He poses no flight risk and will comply with all legal requirements. He deserves to be granted self-recognisance bail,” Afenyo-Markin insisted. “Demanding GHS50 million for bail is unreasonable and unacceptable.”
Wontumi has been detained by EOCO since May 27 in relation to ongoing investigations into alleged financial misconduct involving EXIMBANK. The bail terms, requiring two sureties and a total of GHS50 million, have sparked significant concern among his supporters and political allies.
Afenyo-Markin also criticized the law enforcement’s approach to Wontumi’s arrest, describing it as unnecessarily aggressive and militarized. “He was not formally invited; instead, they arrested him in a ‘Rambo-style’ operation,” he remarked.
