The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, has been granted bail with two sureties following his appearance before the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra on Monday
His bail follows a failed attempt by a joint National Security and police team to arrest him at his residence on May 23, an incident that sparked public outcry and saw NPP supporters massing up at his home in a show of solidarity.
Speaking after securing bail, Chairman Wontumi confirmed that he had been charged with alleged involvement in illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. However, he firmly denied any wrongdoing.
“I was invited by the police and charged with being involved in galamsey,” he stated. “I presented my license to them to prove that I do not engage in illegal mining. They also claimed I was working in the forest, but I told them it wasn’t me. If they have any evidence, they should show it to me.”
He further clarified that while he had previously applied for a license to operate in a forest area, the Forestry Commission, Lands Commission, and Minerals Commission had informed him that the land was reserved for protection. “If anyone is working there now, I am not aware of it,” he added.
In addition to addressing the galamsey allegations, Wontumi also responded to claims regarding financial transactions with COCOBOD dismissing suggestions that he had wrongly collected funds.
“If you are constructing a road, the government doesn’t give you money upfront—you use your own money,” he explained. “The Ghana Highways Authority and COCOBOD engineers later assess the road and pay you based on agreed rates. My contract stated I should be paid within 28 days, but it took nearly three years. So COCOBOD cannot claim they don’t owe me.”
Source: channel1news
