Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has revealed that nearly GH¢50 million in accounts belonging to Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been frozen by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) amid investigations into suspected financial crimes.
Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews on Tuesday, the Member of Parliament for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese explained that the freeze is part of broader efforts to secure assets linked to ongoing probes into corruption and financial misconduct.
“For instance, in Chairman Wontumi’s case alone, close to GH¢50 million of money in his account has been frozen,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu stated.
He noted that comparable amounts are involved in other prominent cases under investigation, including those related to the former Signals Bureau boss Adu Boahen, the National Service Secretariat, and several others.
The government spokesperson indicated that EOCO has so far frozen assets totaling GH¢1.5 billion across various cases as part of the state’s push to trace and preserve suspected proceeds of crime.
“But for now, what they can do is to freeze it, and they have done it, GH¢1.5 billion,” he added.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu clarified that these freezes are interim measures and that full recovery of the assets can only occur after a court convicts the individuals involved and determines that the funds were illegally obtained.
“They are not going to be able to recover until the persons involved have been convicted by a court that then will give you an illegal remit to recover whatever it is that is alleged to have or the court would have found to have been stolen,” he emphasized.
He also addressed recent public discussions surrounding claims by former President John Dramani Mahama regarding funds recovered by EOCO. Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that references to GH¢600 million recovered referred to routine cases handled by the agency in areas such as money laundering, cybercrime, cross-border crimes, and carjacking—not specifically tied to high-profile corruption probes.
The spokesperson stressed that asset tracing runs concurrently with investigations and prosecutions in financial crime matters to prevent dissipation of suspected illicit gains.