Security consultant, Richard Kumadoe has revealed that operatives from the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) were previously deployed to the residence of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Wontumi, after he allegedly failed to honour an earlier invitation from authorities.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, May 31, Kumadoe said the development, which went largely unreported at the time, signaled an earlier attempt by state security to engage the embattled party official prior to his recent legal troubles.
“In the case of our brother Wontumi, what people have forgotten is that not long ago, you saw NIB guys in front of his house, and because they did not communicate what happened, people did not know that he was previously invited and he failed to show up,” Kumadoe disclosed.
Chairman Wontumi was invited by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Tuesday, May 27, over alleged financial misconduct linked to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank).
Subsequently, he was arrested by the Economic and Organised Office (EOCO), which is conducting a separate probe into suspected financial crimes, including fraud, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state. He was granted bail set at GH₵50 million with two justified sureties on Wednesday, May 28.
In protest of his continued detention, Minority Members of Parliament stormed EOCO’s head office in Accra, demanding his immediate release. Led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the MPs marched from Parliament to EOCO, occupying part of the street in front of the building.
Their presence disrupted traffic and drew heavy police deployment. Chants of “justice for Wontumi” rang out as they accused EOCO and other state bodies of politically motivated harassment.
Richard Kumadoe, however, argued that legal avenues exist to challenge the bail terms, stressing that the protest only served to politicise a legal matter.
“As a country, we must allow investigative bodies to operate within the framework of the law. If there are genuine concerns about rights violations, those issues can be addressed through legal avenues, not street protests,” he said.
Although Wontumi’s legal team initially struggled to meet the bail conditions, his lawyer, Andy Appiah-Kubi, confirmed on Friday, May 30, that all requirements had been fulfilled. However, a fresh legal challenge has since delayed his release.
“We encountered some difficulties which will be sorted out on Monday, June 2. We will work towards the desired results. I will stay out of politics and the theatrics and do what is within the law,” Appiah-Kubi told the media.
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