Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has described the GHS50 million bail set for Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, as “very onerous” and questioned how many people in Ghana could meet such conditions.
Speaking to the media outside the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) headquarters in Accra on Friday, May 30, 2025, Dr. Bawumia said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership had made arrangements to visit their detained Ashanti Regional Chairman but were prevented from seeing him.
“We had made some arrangements to come and see our chairman Wontumi, who was arrested and held in custody by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO). We wanted to see how he was doing, but unfortunately, the NIB and EOCO said the crowd was too large to bring him out at the moment. They said proper arrangements must be made first,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia expressed disappointment over the inability to meet Chairman Wontumi, stressing that the prior arrangements had been made well in advance. He said the party would continue efforts to see him.
On the bail conditions, Dr. Bawumia said: “The bail set at 50 million Ghana cedis is very onerous. I don’t know how many people in Ghana have property valued at 50 million cedis. I believe this was set to prevent his timely release.”
He urged the public to remain calm and allow the legal process to take its course. “We are going to follow due process to ensure he is released as soon as possible. I ask everyone to stay calm and not take the law into their own hands. It is important to follow due process and ensure Chairman Wontumi is released safe and sound,” Dr. Bawumia added.
Chairman Wontumi was arrested on Tuesday, May 27, by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. After his release by the CID, he was taken into custody by EOCO.
EOCO granted him bail on Wednesday, May 28, with conditions that include providing two justified sureties. So far, Chairman Wontumi has not met these conditions.
Earlier reports indicated that he had been transferred from EOCO headquarters to the NIB. Several Members of Parliament and senior NPP officials gathered outside the NIB on Friday, seeking access to their detained party chairman.
Dr. Bawumia is reported to be leading efforts to meet the bail conditions set by EOCO.
