Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu says authorities have frozen nearly GH¢50 million in bank accounts belonging to Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, as part of ongoing investigations into suspected financial crimes.
Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews on Tuesday, the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese MP explained that the move was taken by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as investigators work to secure funds believed to be linked to various cases under investigation.
“For instance, in Chairman Wontumi’s case alone, close to GH¢50 million in his account has been frozen,” he said.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu noted that similar sums have surfaced in other high-profile investigations. He cited cases involving former National Signals Bureau official Kwabena Adu-Boahene, as well as issues connected to the National Service Scheme.
According to him, the asset freeze forms part of a broader government effort to trace and secure funds suspected to be linked to corruption and financial misconduct. He said authorities have so far frozen assets amounting to about GH¢1.5 billion across various cases.
However, Mr Kwakye Ofosu emphasised that the freezing of assets is only a temporary step while investigations and court proceedings continue. The state, he explained, cannot permanently seize such funds until a court determines that they were illegally obtained.
He added that only after a conviction can the courts grant the legal authority for the government to recover any assets proven to be proceeds of crime.
The government spokesperson also addressed earlier public reactions to remarks by President John Dramani Mahama about funds recovered by EOCO.
He clarified that the GH¢600 million figure mentioned by the President referred to money recovered from routine cases handled by the agency, rather than the ongoing high-profile corruption investigations currently in the spotlight.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that EOCO deals with a wide range of financial and organised crimes, including money laundering, cybercrime, cross-border offences, and carjacking.
He added that the cases currently drawing public attention involve suspected corruption and financial misconduct that must go through the full legal process before any assets can be officially recovered.
According to him, investigators are still tracing additional assets connected to these cases. Asset tracing, he noted, is a standard part of financial crime investigations and usually runs alongside prosecutions.
The aim, he said, is to ensure that suspected proceeds of crime are secured early so they can potentially be recovered if the courts later confirm the offences.
