AG asks court to reject Wontumi’s bail application

The Attorney General has opposed an application for bail submitted by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, commonly referred to as Chairman Wontumi. This application aims to secure Wontumi's release while his appeal against his conviction and sentence is being heard. The Attorney General's stance was outlined in an affidavit submitted on August 11 in response to the bail request.

Wontumi's legal team had filed the bail application on August 7 at the High Court, seeking permission for their client to be released during the appeal proceedings. However, the Attorney General has urged the court to reject the application, arguing that the grounds presented by Wontumi do not provide a reasonable likelihood of success.

In its affidavit, the Attorney General's office disputed several claims made in the bail application, stating that the appeal arguments do not demonstrate a reasonable chance of the appeal succeeding. The Office of the Attorney General emphasized, "the grounds of appeal contained in the Exhibit CB2, the appeal, contrary to the averments in Paragraphs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the affidavit in support of the motion, discloses no reasonable chance of success."

The prosecution's concerns also revolve around Wontumi's potential departure from the jurisdiction while his appeal is pending. According to the Attorney General, Wontumi poses a significant flight risk and requested the court to take this factor into account when deciding on granting bail. The affidavit states, "That contrary to the averments in Paragraphs 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 and 20 of the affidavit in support of the motion, the Applicant constitutes a significant flight risk."