Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has condemned the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for its handling of Chairman Wontumi’s case.
According to him, for an institution led by a journalist, there should have been a free flow of information on the arrest and charges against the Ashanti Regional Chairman.
However, that has not been the case as the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party continues to languish in EOCO cells.
In a post shared via Twitter, Martin Kpebu condemned the institution for hiding issues withe regards to the arrest of Wontumi saying “By now, EOCO should have informed us why Wontumi is being charged. Raymond Archer is a journalist; he should know that a lack of information in such a case is not ideal. So, I would say EOCO has not handled the process properly”.
Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General in a post shared via social media provided an explanation to Wontumi’s arrest.
He posted “Suspect BERNARD ANTWI BOASIAKO, a.k.a. Chairman Wontumi, is under investigation for various criminal offences (including fraud, causing financial loss to the State, and money laundering).
The criminal investigation is running concurrently with asset recovery processes – to prevent further dissipation of what law enforcement agencies strongly suspect to be proceeds of crime.
The suspect is also under a second strand of investigation which is part of a larger international organised crime scheme. The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is assiduously working with our international law enforcement partners on this second strand of criminal investigations”.
Although Wontumi was granted a bail to the tune of Ghc 50 million with two sureties, an application for the varying of his bail conditions prevented EOCO’s staff from evaluating properties brought forth by Bryan Acheampong to secure bail for the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP.
