The High Court in Accra has dismissed an application for stay of proceedings filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor seeking to halt the trial of Charles Bissue and two others pending the Supreme Court’s decision on the OSP’s prosecutorial mandate.
The court said the trial would proceed, with the undercover investigator from TigerEye PI continuing his testimony, while awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on the prosecutorial mandate of the OSP.
The OSP had argued that, following recent developments including a High Court ruling that the Attorney-General should take over all pending OSP cases, this case, like other cases under prosecution, should be paused.
The OSP has so far filed an appeal against that ruling. It has also filed a certiorari application at the Supreme Court to have the ruling quashed, and a Noah Adamtey writ challenging its prosecutorial mandate at the apex court, with judgment fixed for July 29.
Lawyers for the accused persons opposed the application for stay and urged the court to proceed with the trial.
Ruling on the matter on Monday, June 22, the High Court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, said the trial will proceed while awaiting the decisions from the Supreme Court.
The Court ruled that the Supreme Court has not issued any order preventing the OSP from prosecuting its cases, and therefore her court would continue with the trial until otherwise directed.
Following the dismissal of the application for stay of proceedings, the court said the trial will proceed on June 23.
Benjamin Adjapong, an undercover investigator with TigerEye PI and a member of the team that conducted the “Galamsey Fraud” investigation, is testifying in camera before the High Court.
In his 53-paragraph witness statement, which he is to rely on as his evidence-in-chief, the first and third accused objected to paragraphs 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 31, 32, 35, 42, 43, 51, 52 and 53 on grounds of hearsay.
Background
Former Secretary to the now-defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, and two other accused persons have been charged with corruption and corruption-related offences.
Mr. Bissue, the first accused, together with a former Systems Manager of the GalamStop software, the second accused, and a former Project Coordinator of the IMCIM, the third accused, have all pleaded not guilty to eight counts relating to corruption and corruption-related offences.
Mr. Bissue faces six counts of corruption and abuse of public office under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended by Act 1034.
The other two have each been charged with abetment of corruption and use of public office for profit, contrary to sections 20(1) and 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
They have all pleaded not guilty and are standing trial. The case has been adjourned to June 23, 2026, for continuation.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
