Activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has weighed in on the ongoing detention of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, calling for justice, but not at the expense of due process.
Wontumi has been in the custody of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) since his arrest on Tuesday, May 28, 2025, over allegations of Fraud, money laundering and other crimes of international nature. The case has sparked heated debate, with some celebrating his arrest while others question the legality of his prolonged detention.
Barker-Vormawor, a prominent critic of the previous NPP administration, shared his perspective in a tweet that blended personal experience with a principled stance on justice.
“I was arrested 4 times under Nana Addo. Two of those times, I was in custody illegally beyond 48 hours. They couldn’t care less. During all that time, I was not interviewed once. I was just kept in there for keeping sake. Because they could,” he revealed.
Despite his own history of alleged rights violations under the former government, Barker-Vormawor made it clear that he opposes any unfair treatment of Wontumi, even as he believes the NPP chairman deserves severe punishment for his alleged environmental crimes.
“I believe that Wontumi deserves to be locked and the key thrown away just for what his Akonta Mining did to our environment,” he stated. “But I won’t advocate for breaches of his right to a fair trial just because he was part of a regime that violated mine.”
His remarks highlight a critical tension in Ghana’s justice system, where political vendettas often overshadow legal fairness. While many supporters of the current government may see Wontumi’s arrest as long-overdue accountability, Barker-Vormawor warns against repeating past abuses.
“The real justice is ensuring that criminal elements get a fair and expeditious trial,” he stressed. “Those are practices I have no interest in another suffering. It is pointless and undermines trust in the justice system.”
As Wontumi’s continues detention is expected to end this week, hopefully latest by Wednesday per interviews granted by his lawyer Andy Appiah-Kubi.
Barker-Vormawor’s stance serves as a reminder that justice must be impartial, even for those accused of wrongdoing. The case remains a litmus test for Ghana’s commitment to the rule of law, beyond political allegiances.
