The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will today, Monday, July 13, march to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to protest the arrest of the Spokesperson for the Bawumia campaign team, Dennis Miracles Aboagye.

Officials from the Ghana Immigration Service and EOCO, arrested Mr Aboagye at the airport on Sunday, July 12, according to a post on Facebook by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua. The post alleged that he was denied access to his lawyers, making his whereabouts unknown.

“Since then they have denied his lawyers access and his whereabouts is not disclosed with no charges preferred,” the statement said.

This is not the first an NPP official has been arrested under the President John Dramani Mahama’s administration.

Currently, the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman Wontumi has been accused of aiding individuals to mine without a proper licence at the Samreboi concession. Wontumi’s lawyer has noted that there is no evidence to support the galamsey charges levelled against his client.

Speaking to the media on Friday, October 10, Enoch Afoakwa noted that Chairman Wontumi is unshaken in his insistence on innocence in the face of all galamsey charges.

He added, “So certainly his position has not changed. He still maintains his innocence. Once he has pleaded not guilty to the various counts that he has been charged with, his presumption of innocence under Article 19(2c) triggers — and that means he is presumed innocent until proven.”

“When he was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty to all the several counts of allegations that have been levelled against him. So certainly his position has not changed. He still maintains his innocence. Once he has pleaded not guilty to the various counts that he has been charged with, his presumption of innocence under Article 19(2c) triggers — and that means he is presumed innocent until proven".

Chairman Wontumi, was released from police custody after spending three nights in detention on Friday, October 10.

His release followed the fulfillment of bail requirements totaling GHS25 million, imposed in connection with two separate illegal mining cases currently before the court.

On October 7, he was unable to meet the bail conditions set by the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra. In one of the cases, the court granted him GHS15 million bail with two sureties, while in the other, an additional GHS10 million bail was set, also with two sureties—one of whom must justify with landed property.

The court further directed Wontumi to report to investigators once every week for the first month and prohibited him from traveling outside the country without explicit approval.