OSP files criminal charges against Charles Bissue over alleged IMCIM corruption scandal

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged Charles Bissue. He is the former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). His alleged accomplice, Andy Thomas Owusu, is also charged. They face 15 criminal charges for corruption and abuse of public office. The case involves a mining licensing scandal worth GHC35,000.

The charges were filed at the High Court in Accra on April 28. They allege that between January and February 2019, Mr. Bissue accepted bribes totaling GHC35,000. This was from Benjamin Adjapong, directly and through Owusu. The bribes were to fast-track the renewal of an expired mining license for ORR Resources Enterprise without proper documentation.

Bissue faces nine counts in total. These include Using Public Office for Profit under Section 179C(a) of Act 29. He allegedly received GHC15,000 on January 22, GHC10,000 on January 30, and another GHC10,000 on February 8 to bypass IMCIM vetting processes. He is also charged with Corruption by a Public Officer under Sections 239(1) & (3) of Act 29.

Mr. Owusu faces six counts as well. These include Aiding Bissue’s Corruption under Section 179C(b). He acted as a middleman to facilitate payments and is charged with Corruption of a Public Officer. He allegedly received GHC5,000 in Kumasi for falsely claiming he could secure favors from Bissue.

The OSP’s investigation revealed more details about Mr. Owusu's actions. In a sting operation by Tiger Eye P.I., he negotiated a bribe with Adjapong, who posed as an ORR Resources representative. The initial bribe was GHC100,000 but was later reduced to GHC40,000 each. Ultimately, Mr. Bissue received GHC35,000 while Mr. Owusu pocketed GHC15,000.

In return for these payments, Bissue allegedly issued fraudulent permits and stickers declaring ORR Resources compliant with mining laws.

The IMCIM was established in 2017 to combat illegal mining (galamsey). It was dissolved in 2021 after corruption scandals emerged involving Bissue's alleged misappropriation of excavators and gold nuggets.

In November 2024, the Human Rights Court dismissed Charles Bissue’s final suit against the OSP. This suit aimed to prevent his arrest or investigation by the OSP.

Previously, Mr. Bissue obtained a temporary injunction against his arrest from the court. He claimed that the warrant issued against him was unlawfully procured and intended to harass him.

He also sought to declare a notice marking him as wanted void.

The Court found his claims unfounded and stated there was no evidence supporting them. It ruled that it was up to Bissue to prove that an arrest warrant existed; he failed to do so.

The Judge concluded that no warrant had been issued against him and dismissed his claim as baseless. The court awarded costs of GHC10,000 against him.

This ruling allows the OSP to continue its investigations into Mr. Bissue’s involvement with IMCIM and pursue other corruption-related charges depicted in the Tiger Eye P.I documentary "Galamsey Fraud Part 1."