FLASHBACK: What Wontumi said about alleged GH¢50 million Cocoa Road contract

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, has broken his silence on the growing controversy surrounding a reported GH¢50 million payment he allegedly received from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD). This comes after he honoured an invitation to appear at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters on Monday, May 26, 2025, over allegations of engaging in illegal mining, popularly known in Ghana as galamsey.

Chairman Wontumi’s name has been in the news for days, with many Ghanaians wondering what really happened at his residence last week. Some media reports claimed that a failed security raid on his house was linked to the payment of GH¢50 million from COCOBOD during the final days of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s administration. But Wontumi says the truth is very different.

CID Questioning Focused on Galamsey Allegations

After spending hours at the CID headquarters, journalists swarmed around the outspoken regional chairman to ask him about both the galamsey accusations and the supposed GH¢50 million cocoa road contract payment.

Interestingly, Wontumi told the press that during his interrogation, no questions were asked about the COCOBOD payment. “They didn’t ask me anything about that money,” he said firmly. “The focus was on other matters.”

“I Did No Wrong” – Wontumi Defends Himself on COCOBOD Payment

Despite not being questioned on the matter, Wontumi decided to set the record straight. He explained that the payment in question was not a gift or any illegal transaction, but rather a legitimate payment for work done under a cocoa roads contract awarded to his company.

Wontumi explained the process in simple terms so the public could understand:

“It is not true that I have unduly taken COCOBOD money. Whenever you are contracted to construct a road, it is not the government that gives you money upfront. As a contractor, you pre-finance the road. That means you use your own money to do the work first.”

He went further to say that after the road is completed, engineers from the Highways Authority and COCOBOD will come to inspect and value the road. Only after this valuation will the contractor be issued a certificate, which is a formal document confirming that the job has been done and the contractor is due for payment.

“So, when they finish the inspection and raise the certificate, they are supposed to pay you within a certain time, in this case, 28 days. But in my situation, it took them about three years before they paid me. So how can anyone say COCOBOD doesn’t owe me? I just did my job.”

COCOBOD Payment Was Delayed for 3 Years

According to Chairman Wontumi, the GH¢50 million was not paid secretly or unfairly. It was money owed to him for road construction that had already been completed long ago. The payment delay of over three years, he said, made things difficult for him and his company.

“I worked for the money. It wasn’t dashed to me. And they didn’t pay me on time either. I suffered for it. In this country, it’s as if people think that when someone works hard and gets money, it is automatically corruption. But I can say confidently that there was no foul play.”

He added that everyone’s success is determined by their hard work and sacrifices. “Working is not a sin,” he said. “I didn’t sit there and get the money for free. I worked for it.”

Background: Why the Issue Blew Up

The matter became public when a group of armed security personnel stormed Wontumi’s house last week. It was widely reported that they were looking for documents or proof related to the GH¢50 million COCOBOD payment. However, Wontumi’s camp maintains that the raid was unnecessary and was based on misinformation.

This led to his appearance at the CID for questioning—though surprisingly, he was not asked anything about the COCOBOD deal.

Wontumi Granted Bail, To Return to CID

After hours of questioning on Monday, Wontumi was granted bail and is expected to return to the CID headquarters on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, to continue assisting in investigations—this time mainly related to the illegal mining allegations.

Sources say that these investigations are not just about the cocoa road money, but also broader issues surrounding Wontumi’s role in galamsey activities in the Ashanti Region and beyond.

Public Reaction: Ghanaians Divided

As expected, Ghanaians on social media and radio phone-ins are sharply divided over the issue. Some believe Wontumi is being unfairly targeted for political reasons, especially now that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is back in power under President John Dramani Mahama.

Others, however, argue that the huge sums of money paid to politically connected individuals like Wontumi must be properly investigated, no matter who is in power.

One caller on a Kumasi-based radio station said,

“If Wontumi really worked for the money, then fine. But the timing and the amount make people suspicious. We need full transparency.”

Wontumi Maintains His Innocence

For now, Chairman Wontumi remains defiant. He says he is being targeted unfairly and insists that he has done nothing wrong. He urged the public to be calm and assured everyone that he will cooperate fully with the CID to clear his name.

“Let us not destroy people simply because they have become successful. Ghana must not be a place where you get punished for working hard,” he said.