Member of Parliament (MP) for Abetifi, Dr Bryan Acheampong, on Monday, floored the former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, in their respective efforts to secure bail for the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as “Chairman Wontumi”.
The two prominent NPP figures, both seen as potential challengers to the party’s 2024 flagbearer and former Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in the race for the party’s 2028 presidential ticket, used Wontumi’s detention as another platform to display their financial clout.
Mr Agyapong, had attempted to stand surety for Wontumi several days before his release on Monday, 2 June 2025, but was unable to fulfil the legal requirements. This opened the way for Dr Acheampong, a former Minister for Food and Agriculture, to step in and secure the release of the embattled regional chairman from the custody of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Wontumi’s lead counsel, Andy Appiah-Kubi, former MP for Asante Akim North and a key figure in securing the bail, later clarified why the documents provided by Mr Agyapong failed to meet EOCO’s bail conditions.
Mr Appiah-Kubi explained that, although Mr Agyapong’s documents were valuable enough to satisfy the GH¢50 million bail requirement, they were not registered and therefore lacked legal title.
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“Ken Agyapong came forward with some documents, but upon verification, it was realised they were either leases or assignments that had not been registered, so they lacked title. We couldn’t use such documents, and I told him so. Incidentally, I didn’t keep them because they were of no use to me at the time. I returned the documents and advised him to regularise them,” he explained.
A motion for a review of Wontumi’s GH¢50 million bail condition, filed by NPP Director of Legal Affairs Gary Nimako Marfo, who was not part of the legal defence team, was formally withdrawn on Monday, 2 June. The motion had originally been submitted to the High Court in Accra on 30 May and was scheduled for hearing on Tuesday, 3 June, but was pulled a day earlier after the bail conditions were satisfied.
Dr Acheampong, who has since confirmed his involvement, stood as one of the sureties. He disclosed that he provided properties to support the bail process, describing his intervention as a routine gesture, adding, “I don’t know what being rich really means.”
Mr Appiah-Kubi revealed that the full bail requirements had already been met by Friday, 30 May, and that the subsequent delay in Wontumi’s release was caused by the unauthorised filing of the bail review application by Mr Nimako.
“The application for bail review was filed without my express authorisation, which is why the release was unnecessarily delayed, even though all requirements had been fulfilled,” he stated.
Chairman Wontumi’s legal team had earlier challenged the GH¢50 million bail imposed by EOCO, arguing that it was excessive and appeared intended to frustrate his release.
NPP General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, commended Dr Acheampong for stepping in and providing one of the sureties that eventually secured Wontumi’s release.
Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Justice Srem-Sai, has revealed that Chairman Wontumi is under investigation for alleged serious criminal offences, including fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering. He also hinted at potential links to an international organised crime syndicate.
Further, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) is preparing a separate docket on Wontumi’s activities as part of the broader investigations, operating independently of the EOCO and Criminal Investigations Department (CID) probes.
Wontumi’s release followed a period of intense legal manoeuvring and significant political pressure. Initially, his legal team struggled to meet the stringent bail terms, leading to several days in detention.
On Friday, 30 May, Mr Appiah-Kubi confirmed that documentation for both sureties had been finalised, significantly aided by Dr Acheampong, whose submitted properties reportedly “go over and above the value of money that is required”.
Despite meeting the conditions on Friday, Wontumi’s release was held up due to the unexpected legal challenge in the form of the unauthorised bail review motion.
On Thursday, 29 May, members of the parliamentary minority staged a protest at EOCO headquarters and walked out of Parliament, demanding Wontumi’s immediate release. They argued that, considering his public stature and low flight risk, he should have been granted bail on his own recognisance.
In support, NPP sympathisers also blocked traffic in front of EOCO’s offices as part of their protest.
