Deputy Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress Patriotic Party (NDC), Mahdi Gibril says the reason why nobody from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stood in as surity for Bernard Antwi Bosiako aka Chairman Wontumi was because they feared of being exposed.
The politician stated that a lot of the NPP politicians were scared that standing in as duties for their Ashanti Regional Chairman would have opened several cans of worms.
He indicated that some individuals might be implicated in corruption and associated investigations should they serve as surities.
After days of noting his bail conditions, the embattled Chairman of the NPP successfully met the bail conditions set by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
However, a pending court motion is reportedly preventing his immediate release.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, May 30, lead counsel Andy Appiah-Kubi disclosed that his client was in good health and had met the bail conditions.
Wontumi was granted bail by EOCO on Wednesday, May 28, to the tune of GHS 50 million with two justified sureties.
Commenting on the issue, Mahdi Gibril refuted claims that the government is intimidating Wontumi.
He explained that Wontumi is undergoing a laid-down procedure, and under no circumstance has anyone breached his rights or curtailed his freedom as claimed by some assigns of the NPP.
Mahdi Gibril said the NPP officer is being investigated for money laundering, fraud, causing financial loss to the state, among other criminal offences.
He told host Kwabena Agyapong that “the NPP and their members could not stand in as sureties because they feared they would be exposed. A lot of them did not want to stand in as sureties because their property would have been the subject of investigation.
Nobody is intimidating Wontumi. He is being investigated for several criminal offences, including money laundering, fraud and causing financial loss to the state. Former President Akufo-Addo failed to have Wontumi investigated for his involvement in illegal mining activities. A new government has taken over and has demonstrated commitment in investigating him, and so this cannot be described as intimidation.
He has been given bail with conditions, and it was expected that he meet these conditions so that he would be granted bail. When you use the Woyome saga as an example, he was granted Ghc54 million bail, and so it cannot be said that the one granted to Wontumi is outrageous. The NPP should have easily taken an interest in standing as surety for Wontumi, especially when you look at how they keep talking about the issue and making political capital out of it.”
He also claimed that several of the NPP members are scared that Wontumi will abscond should they stand in as sureties for him.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
