Chairman Wontumi granted bail after CID interrogation

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, has been released by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.

Chairman Wontumi, as he is popularly known, left the premises of the security agency moments ago, accompanied by his lawyers.

The party official told journalists that he provided documentation to the police during his interrogation, which proved that he was not involved in any illegal mining activities.

He further explained that he presented further proof that he was not mining in any forest reserve.

Mr Boasiako was granted bail with two sureties.

Wontumi earlier today turned himself in to the Ghana Police Service following last week’s failed attempt by operatives of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to execute a search warrant at his Kumasi home on May 23.

A tense standoff ensued on that day when heavily armed national security operatives tried to enter his residence with a court-approved search warrant.

According to source, the operation was close to leading to an arrest when Chairman Wontumi raised an alarm, drawing a crowd of supporters to the scene.

The standoff prompted negotiations between the operatives and Wontumi’s legal team. The operatives eventually withdrew, and Wontumi’s lawyers agreed to present him to the police on Monday.”

The state is pursuing Bernard Antwi Boasiako for his alleged involvement in illegal mining activities through his company, Akonta Mining.

Earlier this month, Land and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah announced the termination of the Akonta Mining lease. Wontumi, however, is challenging the cancellation in court.