Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu says close to ¢50 million belonging to Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, aka Chairman Wontumi, has been frozen as part of ongoing investigations into suspected financial crimes.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, the Abura Asebu-Kwamankese MP revealed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has moved to secure large sums of money believed to be linked to various investigations.
“For instance, in Chairman Wontumi’s case alone, close to ¢50 million of money in his account has been frozen.”
He said similar financial figures have also been identified in other high-profile cases currently under investigation.
“Similar figures are involved in the former Signals Bureau boss, Adu Boahen, case, for instance, in the National Service case and many others.”
Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that these actions form part of a broader state effort to trace and secure assets linked to suspected corruption and financial misconduct.
He said the current freeze is part of a larger number of assets that authorities have managed to secure so far.
“But for now, what they can do is to freeze it, and they have done it, ¢1.5 billion.”
According to him, the asset freezes are temporary measures pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
He noted that the state cannot recover such assets outright until courts determine that they were obtained illegally.
“They are not going to be able to recover until the persons involved have been convicted by a court that then will give you an illegal remit to recover whatever it is that is alleged to have or the court would have found to have been stolen.”
The government spokesperson also addressed the earlier public debate over comments by President John Mahama about money recovered by EOCO.
“Indeed, there were those who accused the President of misleading them when he said that EOCO had recovered ¢600 million.”
Mr Kwakye Ofosu clarified that the amount cited by the President referred to routine investigations handled by EOCO.
“That was in respect of the normal everyday cases that the EOCO handles.”
He explained that EOCO’s work covers a wide range of financial and organised crimes.
“Because they deal with issues of money laundering, cyber crime, cross-border crime, carjacking, and what have you.”
“So those are regular things that they do.”
However, he said the investigations currently attracting public attention involve suspected corruption and financial crimes that require legal processes before any recovery can take place.
He added that authorities are still working to identify additional assets linked to ongoing investigations.
“This is even for the cases that they’ve been able to touch, those that they’ve not touched.”
“They are still in the process of tracing this asset.”
Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that asset tracing is a standard part of criminal investigations involving financial crimes.
“You know that anytime that anybody comes under investigation or is undergoing prosecution, they do concurrent tracing of assets.”
He said the aim is to ensure that suspected proceeds of crime are secured before cases are concluded.
“So that as much as possible we secure what we believe will be commenced with to the amounts involved in offences that would have been completed.”
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
