The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been granted bail with two sureties following his appearance before the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra on Monday.
This comes just days after a failed attempt by a joint National Security and police team to arrest him at his residence on Friday, May 23—a move that sparked public outrage and saw dozens of NPP supporters gather in protest outside his home.
Speaking after being granted bail, Chairman Wontumi confirmed that he was charged with alleged involvement in illegal mining (galamsey). However, he categorically denied any wrongdoing.
“I was invited by the police and charged with being involved in galamsey,” he said. “I presented my license to them to prove that I do not engage in illegal mining. They also claimed I was working in the forest, but I told them it wasn’t me. If they have any evidence, they should show it to me.”
Wontumi further explained that although he once applied for a license to operate in a forest area, the Forestry Commission, Lands Commission, and Minerals Commission had informed him the land had been reserved for protection. “If anyone is working there now, I am not aware of it,” he added.
Beyond the galamsey allegations, Wontumi also addressed claims regarding financial dealings with the Ghana Cocoa Board, stating that suggestions he had improperly collected funds were “absolutely untrue.”
“If you are constructing a road, the government doesn’t give you money upfront—you use your own money,” he explained. “The Ghana Highways Authority and COCOBOD engineers later assess the road and pay you based on agreed rates. My contract stated I should be paid within 28 days, but it took nearly three years. So COCOBOD cannot claim they don’t owe me.”
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