The Acting CEO of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Dr. Rashid Tanko Computer, has sharply criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP), describing the party’s recent actions as lawless amid the arrest of its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Dr. Tanko Computer’s remarks come in the wake of Wontumi’s arrest by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on allegations including fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering linked to illegal mining activities.
Wontumi has been held under investigation with bail set at GH₵50 million, a condition that has sparked protests from the NPP and its parliamentary minority, who have called for the bail terms to be varied.
In an interview with JoyNews monitored by Kumasimail.com, Dr. Tanko Computer condemned the NPP’s response to the arrest, accusing the party of undermining Ghana’s security agencies and disregarding the rule of law.
He stated, “Day in day out, these NPP groups are becoming lawless… This issue borders on the security of the state. A lawful arrest was made. He’s been taken through the process, and yet you want to stampede the process. It’s unheard of.”
He urged the NPP to respect judicial procedures, advising that if the party finds the bail conditions harsh, they should seek redress through the courts rather than protests.
“That’s why the court is there. They should go to court so that the court can vary the bail,” he said
Dr. Tanko Computer also highlighted the hypocrisy he perceives in the NPP’s actions, recalling that during their own time in government, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) faced arrests of top officials without similar public outcry or disruptions.
“Chairman Ampofo was the National Chairman of the NDC; they arrested him to face justice, and the Minority didn’t go the kind of lawless things they are doing now,” he noted.
Furthermore, he criticized attempts by the NPP to involve President John Mahama in the matter, questioning the relevance of the President’s role in the enforcement of security agency operations.
“What has the President got to do with this? Is the President controlling the security agencies to do their work? Under their regime, were they telling us Nana Addo was controlling arrests?” he queried.
Dr. Tanko Computer emphasized that the law applies equally to all citizens regardless of political affiliation and warned against politicizing lawful investigations.
He asserted that the era of selective justice is over and called on all parties to allow security agencies to operate without interference.
“We will make sure the law work. The law is the law, we are in the era of the law is the law we should all the security agencies to do work,” Dr. Computer asserted.
Source: www.kumasimail.com / Kwadwo Owusu
