Investigation on Wontumi completed, charges are ‘ready’ – Attorney General

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice has announced that preparations are complete for the prosecution of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He is under investigation by both the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, July 28, 2025, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine stated that the investigations involving Chairman Wontumi have been concluded by both EOCO and the CID.

He revealed that his office has drafted charges against Chairman Wontumi and others involved in the investigations and has forwarded them to the appropriate offices for review before the case proceeds to court.

“The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has completed investigations in respect of Chairman Wontumi and the former National Buffer Stock Company CEO, Mr Abdul Wahab Hanan, and their accomplices.

“The results of both investigations will be announced very soon. The Police CID have also completed a docket on the Akonta Mining case and submitted same to my office,” he stated.

He further added, “We have prepared charges and sent them back to the Police CID for the suspects to be formally charged before their arraignment in court in the coming days.”

The CID’s investigation concerns allegations that Akonta Mining Limited, owned by Chairman Wontumi, engaged in mining without a licence, polluted water bodies, and entered a forest reserve without authorization.

EOCO had also arrested and detained Wontumi for several days before granting him bail set at GH¢50 million. While EOCO did not publicly state the reason for the arrest, the Deputy Attorney General noted that Chairman Wontumi is under investigation for various criminal offences, including fraud, money laundering, and causing financial loss to the state.

In a statement on social media dated Thursday, May 29, 2025, Dr. Justice Srem Sai revealed that Chairman Wontumi is also implicated in another investigation tied to a wider international organised crime ring.

The Deputy Attorney General confirmed that EOCO is working with international law enforcement agencies in probing this complex network of alleged criminal operations.