OSP drags Charles Bissue, Andy Owusu to Court over galamsey corruption

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged Charles Bissue. He is the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). Andy Thomas Owusu is also charged. Together, they face 15 counts of corruption-related offences.

The charges were filed at the High Court. They accuse both men of abusing public office for personal gain. This relates to illegal mining operations.

Mr. Bissue is specifically accused of using his public office for profit. This violates Section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). The charge sheet states he received GHC15,000 from Bemanin Adjapong through Andy Owusu around January 22, 2019, in Accra.

The OSP claims Bissue abused his position as IMCIM Secretary. He allegedly accepted money to bypass established procedures from the Committee’s 2018 “Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining.” These procedures included verifying documents and acquiring relevant permits.

Bissue is accused of unlawfully fast-tracking mining permit renewals for specific operators. The charge sheet outlines multiple offences involving abuse of office and corruption. These actions undermined lawful mining regulations during Ghana’s crackdown on illegal mining, known as “galamsey.”

This case will test the OSP’s efforts to prosecute high-profile corruption cases. It particularly focuses on those related to illegal mining activities.