The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has escalated its anti-corruption crackdown with a 15-count indictment against Charles Bissue, former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and businessman Andy Thomas Owusu.
The charges, filed at Accra’s High Court, allege the duo orchestrated a bribery scheme to manipulate mining license approvals during Ghana’s peak anti-galamsey operations.
Prosecutors accuse Bissue of accepting GH₵35,000 in bribes between January and February 2019 to fast-track the renewal of an expired license for ORR Resources Enterprise without proper documentation.
The payments were allegedly facilitated by Owusu, who acted as a middleman in the transactions.
Charge Breakdown
- Bissue faces nine counts, including Using Public Office for Profit (Section 179C(a) of Act 29) for receiving GH₵15,000 on January 22, GH₵10,000 on January 30, and another GH₵10,000 on February 8 to bypass IMCIM’s vetting processes.
- Owusu is charged with six counts, including Aiding Corruption (Section 179C(b)) for negotiating bribes and falsely claiming influence over Bissue.
The OSP alleges Bissue abused his position to circumvent the IMCIM’s 2018 “Road Map,” which mandated document verification, permit acquisition, and concession mapping. By accepting bribes, he allegedly issued fraudulent compliance permits to unqualified operators.
The scheme was uncovered through a sting operation by Tiger Eye P.I., where Owusu negotiated a GH₵100,000 bribe later reduced to GH₵40,000 per party.
Background:
The IMCIM, established in 2017 to combat illegal mining, became mired in controversy, with Bissue previously facing allegations in the Galamsey Fraud documentary.
A November 2024 court ruling dismissed his lawsuit against the OSP, clearing the path for this prosecution.
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
