Accra, May 30, GNA – Lawyers of BernardAntwi Buasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), said they have successfully met the bail conditions set by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), but a new legal complication is preventing his release.
The Lead Counsel, Mr Andy Appiah-Kubi, said all the necessary documentation for the two sureties had been completed, with significant support from Mr Brian Acheampong, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture, to meet the GhC50 million bail condition.
He noted that the legal team was working swiftly to resolve the new court matter and expressed the hope that the issue could be cleared by Monday, June 2, to pave the way for the release of Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
Mr Appiah -Kubi, in an interview with the media, disclosed that although officials of EOCO were ready to proceed with the inspection of the properties listed by the sureties, the pending court application legally restrained them from moving forward until the matter was resolved.
“We have been able to provide the sureties… that I can assure you. But we have encountered some difficulties, which would be resolved by Monday so we will have a clean slate to proceed,” he said.
“We will stay out of the politics and theatre and do the work within the law.”
Mr Appiah-Kubi also clarified the confusion over the whereabouts of Chairman Wontumi,contradicting earlier claims by the leadership of the NPP that they were unaware of his location.
Touching on his client’s health, the lead counsel dismissed rumours of a hunger strike and assured the public that he (Wontumi) was receiving medical care.
He said they had brought Chairman Wontumi to meet with former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia but the situation was difficult to arrange a meeting due to the crowd.
Earlier, speaking to journalists outside the National Intelligence Bureau Headquarters in Accra, Dr Bawumia expressed disappointment over the inability of the NPP leadership to meet with the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party.
He explained that despite prior arrangements to check on Chairman Wontumi, who had been in custody for the past four days, following his arrest by EOCO, it could not go ahead as expected.
Chairman Wontumi is under investigation for various criminal offences including fraud, causing financial loss to the State and money laundering.
He was arrested on Tuesday, May 27, following a summons by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
GNA
Agnes Boye-Doe