Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has revealed that about GH¢50 million belonging to Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been frozen as part of investigations into suspected financial crimes.According to him, the funds were frozen by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as authorities move to secure assets believed to be connected to ongoing probes.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews on Tuesday, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said the freeze forms part of broader efforts by the state to track and secure funds linked to suspected corruption and other financial offences. “For instance, in Chairman Wontumi’s case alone, close to GH¢50 million in his account has been frozen,” he said.
The Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese Member of Parliament added that similar amounts have also been identified in other high-profile investigations. He cited cases involving a former Signals Bureau official, Adu Boahen, as well as matters connected to the National Service Scheme, noting that authorities are uncovering significant financial sums across multiple probes. Mr. Kwakye Ofosu further revealed that the total value of assets currently frozen in connection with various investigations stands at about GH¢1.5 billion.
However, he stressed that freezing the funds does not amount to immediate recovery by the state. According to him, the law requires that individuals under investigation must first be convicted in court before the government can legally confiscate any assets believed to have been acquired illegally. “They cannot recover the money until the court determines that it was obtained unlawfully and grants the state the legal authority to do so,” he explained.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu also addressed earlier controversy surrounding comments by President John Dramani Mahama about funds recovered by EOCO. He clarified that the President’s reference to GH¢600 million related to funds recovered from routine investigations conducted by EOCO, separate from the high-profile corruption cases currently drawing public attention. He noted that EOCO regularly handles a range of criminal activities including money laundering, cybercrime, cross-border crimes, and carjacking.
Despite the progress made so far, the government spokesperson said investigators are still tracing additional assets that may be linked to ongoing cases. He emphasised that authorities have only secured some of the assets identified so far, while efforts continue to uncover others connected to the investigations.