OSP drops all corruption, bribery charges against Thomas Owusu Andy

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has dropped all charges against Owusu Andy Thomas. This clears him of corruption and bribery allegations.

Andy Thomas was on trial with Charles Bissue. Bissue is the former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining. Together, they faced 15 counts related to corruption and bribery.

The charges originated from a 2019 investigation by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. This exposé implicated several officials in misconduct linked to illegal mining operations.

At the time of his discharge, Owusu faced nine charges. Six of these were directly related to bribery and corruption.

On Wednesday, the High Court in Accra discharged him from all six charges. This followed a plea bargain agreement accepted by the OSP.

As part of this settlement, Owusu Thomas must pay GH¢200,000 as restitution to the Republic. This payment resolves three remaining charges under Section 71(4) of the OSP Act, 2017 (Act 959).

This resolution is significant for ongoing legal proceedings after the anti-galamsey exposé. It sparked public debate about accountability in Ghana’s fight against illegal mining.

The case against his co-accused, Charles Bissue, is still pending.