Wontumi hit with Exim Bank suit amidst EOCO, CID investigations

NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Antwi Boasiako ‘Wontumi’

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been served a writ of summons by Exim Bank, adding to his ongoing legal challenges following an intense interrogation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

The development was confirmed by Wontumi’s lawyer, Andy Appiah-Kubi, in an interview on Tuesday night.

According to Appiah-Kubi, the writ from Exim Bank was received on the afternoon of May 27, 2025, while Wontumi was undergoing questioning at EOCO.

“We have also received this afternoon a writ of summons from Exim Bank, and we are going to respond to the pleadings tomorrow,” Appiah-Kubi stated, expressing confidence in mounting a defense.

“I am very hopeful that we will be able to mount a defense to the writ,” he added.

The EOCO interrogation centered on allegations related to Wontumi’s activities, though specific details of the charges were not disclosed by his lawyer during his engagement with the media on Tuesday night.

The session was so intensive that Wontumi was rushed to a hospital for medical treatment afterward, as confirmed by his lawyer.

“My client has been taken to the hospital for medical treatment,” Appiah-Kubi said, noting that the interrogation was incomplete.

“We haven’t finished the interrogation, so we will come back to continue, hopefully tomorrow, if his condition improves. Otherwise, he will stay there until the doctors discharge him,” he said.

This latest development follows Wontumi’s recent brush with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Monday, May 26, 2025, where he was questioned over alleged illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.

Wontumi was granted bail with two sureties after denying the allegations and presenting his mining license to prove his operations were legal.

Wontumi’s arrest and interrogation by EOCO sparked protests by NPP supporters outside the EOCO office in Accra, escalating into clashes with security personnel.

A JoyNews reporter, Latif Iddrisu, was assaulted while covering the unrest, and two police vehicles were reportedly vandalized.

The situation also led to the deployment of soldiers to the EOCO premises to ensure order as the tensions mounted.