Supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been left deeply disappointed following the conviction and sentencing of the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, according to the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.
The MP said Chairman Wontumi’s conviction had had a significant impact on the party, describing Wontumi as an influential figure whose position as Ashanti Regional Chairman made the case particularly important to the NPP.
“Wontumi is no ordinary person. He’s the chairman of the party in the Ashanti Region, the largest constituency of the party. So if anything like this has happened to him, definitely it is not light,” Mr Baffour Awuah said in an interview.
He added that the party had closely followed the court proceedings and was surprised by the outcome, particularly its assessment of the evidence presented during the trial.
According to the Manhyia South MP, the NPP believes the evidence presented in court raised questions about the basis for the conviction. He, however, noted that the party was yet to obtain and study the full written judgment before making a comprehensive assessment of the court’s decision.
“We as a party followed the proceedings, and we are very surprised because if you look at the evidence that was tendered, even though we are yet to see the judgment, we want to appreciate the basis upon which a court can convict on evidence which, in our view, was very porous,” he said.
Mr Baffour Awuah said the party was particularly interested in understanding how the court arrived at its decision in light of comments regarding the absence of direct evidence.
He argued that the NPP wanted clarity on how the prosecution’s burden of proving its case beyond reasonable doubt had been met.
“Indeed, we are not surprised that the judge, in reading the judgment, admitted to the absence of direct evidence,” he said.
The MP stressed that the party would wait for the full judgment to examine how the court evaluated the evidence and reached its conclusion.
“We are waiting to see the judgment, see how the judge evaluated the evidence and came to the conclusion that she has come to. If the record of proceedings we have is anything to go by, we think there has been a travesty,” he added.
His comments come as the NPP awaits the detailed written judgment, which the party believes will provide further insight into the court’s reasoning and the evidence that informed the conviction.
The development has generated significant discussion within the NPP, particularly in the Ashanti Region, where Wontumi has played a prominent role in the party’s political activities.
