Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has revealed that nearly GH¢50 million belonging to Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been frozen as part of ongoing investigations into suspected financial crimes.
Speaking in a recent interview, Kwakye Ofosu said the action was taken by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as part of efforts to secure funds believed to be linked to various investigations. He noted that similar large sums have been identified in other high-profile cases, including investigations involving former Signals Bureau boss Adu Boahen and the National Service case.
According to him, the freeze forms part of a broader effort by authorities to trace and secure assets tied to suspected corruption and financial misconduct. He indicated that, in total, about GH¢1.5 billion in assets has so far been frozen across multiple investigations.
Kwakye Ofosu stressed that the asset freezes are temporary measures and that the state cannot recover the funds unless a court convicts those involved and rules that the assets were illegally obtained.
He also clarified comments previously made by President John Mahama about GH¢600 million recovered by EOCO, explaining that the figure referred to funds recovered through the agency’s routine investigations into crimes such as money laundering, cybercrime, cross-border crime, and carjacking.
Authorities, he added, are continuing to trace additional assets linked to ongoing investigations as part of standard procedures in financial crime cases.