Minority MPs walk out of Parliament over ‘harsh’ bail conditions for Chairman Wontumi

Members of the Minority caucus in Parliament staged a walkout on Thursday in protest against the continued detention of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.

The action came after Wontumi’s legal team failed to meet the conditions for a GHS50 million bail granted by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin led the protest, delivering a strongly worded address on the floor of the House.

He accused EOCO of unjust treatment and warned that the agency’s actions could have serious political consequences.

 

“Do your work but respect the law. There are many people who have appeared before investigative agencies and they are treated with dignity,” Afenyo-Markin stated. “But the way we are treating ourselves, it will come back and haunt us in 2029. Let’s be careful.”

Wontumi has been in EOCO custody since Tuesday, May 27, following his arrest in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving EXIMBANK. EOCO has set bail conditions at GHS50 million, requiring two sureties—terms which Wontumi has yet to meet.

The Minority Leader questioned the fairness of the bail requirement, describing it as excessive and unrealistic.

“We don’t have GHS50 million worth of properties. Where is he going to get it from?” he asked. “Until EOCO does the right thing, we on the NPP side will protest by absenting ourselves from Parliament and joining him. We are all going to sleep there with him.”

Afenyo-Markin emphasised that the protest was not about undermining the investigative process, but about ensuring fairness and consistency in how citizens are treated.

“I pray that my colleagues will support this so that with one voice, EOCO will know that when it got to this matter of Chairman Wontumi, Parliament was united,” he added.