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| Image source: citinewsroom |
In a daring show of defiance, minority members of Ghana's parliament staged a high-profile sit-in outside the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra Central on Thursday, calling for the immediate release of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)'s Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi. As emotions grew, the demonstration, which saw MPs march from Parliament and block off portions of the street, stopped traffic and attracted a large police presence.
The lawmakers, led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, denounced Wontumi's imprisonment as "political persecution" and charged that state institutions were being used as weapons against political rivals. The demonstrators' chants of slogans and demands for justice brought attention to the rising skepticism regarding the independence of Ghana's investigating agencies. The dramatic protest comes after the Criminal Investigations Department arrested Wontumi on Tuesday, May 27. The EOCO is looking into suspected connections to state money and mining interests, as well as alleged financial irregularities related to the Ghana Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank).
On Wednesday, May 28, Wontumi was given GH₵50 million bail; nevertheless, he is still being held because of unfulfilled requirements, including the need for two reasonable sureties. Henry Nana Boakye, the national organizer of the NPP, denounced the "increasing politicization" of EOCO and blasted the agency's conduct. However, EOCO has not commented on the current probe and has stayed silent.
With Wontumi's case turning into a focal point for discussions about justice and due process, the sit-in has heightened Ghana's already tense political atmosphere. The demonstration highlights severe differences and calls into doubt the fairness of governmental institutions in handling high-profile cases as his legal team frantically tries to fulfill bail conditions.
SOURCE: https://citinewsroom.com/