In a bold and visually striking demonstration, Minority Members of Parliament staged a street sit-in on Thursday, May 29, outside the offices of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra.
Their aim: to demand the immediate release of Bernard Antwi Boasiako—better known as Chairman Wontumi—the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Wearing symbolic red and black attire, the MPs marched from Parliament to EOCO’s headquarters, occupying parts of the road and halting traffic. The scene quickly attracted widespread public and media attention, with chants echoing demands for justice and denouncements of what the MPs call political harassment.
Led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the group condemned Wontumi’s continued detention as a form of political persecution and accused EOCO of being used as a tool to intimidate opposition voices.
Wontumi was taken into custody on Tuesday, May 27, following a police summons. Though EOCO granted him bail on Wednesday, May 28—with a GH₵50 million bond and two justified sureties—he remains detained, allegedly due to difficulties in meeting the bail conditions.
The arrest relates to an ongoing investigation into alleged financial improprieties tied to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIMBANK), with unconfirmed reports suggesting links to complex financial dealings involving public funds and mining interests.
The NPP’s National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, also spoke out, accusing EOCO of descending into partisan bias and misuse of power.
As the political storm intensifies, EOCO has remained tight-lipped about the details of the case, refusing to comment publicly. Meanwhile, the protest has deepened political tensions, turning Wontumi’s case into a flashpoint in the larger debate over judicial fairness and the impartiality of Ghana’s investigative institutions.
