Chairman Wontumi hospitalised following EOCO’s arrest

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been hospitalised after being arrested by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on May 27, 2025.

His legal team, headed by NPP Member of Parliament Andy Appiah-Kubi, revealed this.

According to Mr Appiah-Kubi, Chairman Wontumi fell ill during the interrogation process and was subsequently transferred to a hospital for medical attention.

“My client has been taken to the hospital for medical treatment. We haven’t finished with the interrogation, so we will come back to continue, hopefully tomorrow, if his condition improves. Otherwise, he will remain there until doctors discharge him,” he disclosed.

NPP officials narrating the incident to the media said Chairman Wontumi had initially honoured a police invitation and was at the CID headquarters responding to questions when he was suddenly taken away by heavily armed, masked officers and detained for further investigation.

While details of the allegations against him remain unclear, Mr Appiah-Kubi said that the police had “preferred some allegations” against his client, to which he had already responded.

The interrogation was, however, interrupted due to his deteriorating health.

Additionally, Mr Appiah-Kubi disclosed that a writ of summons from Exim Bank was served on Chairman Wontumi earlier in the day.

“We have also received this afternoon a writ of summons from Exim Bank, and we are going to respond to the pleadings tomorrow,” he confirmed.

“We are very hopeful that we’ll be able to mount a defence”.

He was keen to distinguish between the civil and criminal elements of the ongoing case.

“This is one of a supposed criminal investigation, but I am confident that we will be able to put up a defence. We consider the Exim Bank issue a civil matter, and that’s how we will respond to it in court,” he said.