OSP slaps Charles Bissue with criminal charges in IMCIM corruption scandal

Fifteen criminal charges have been filed against Charles Bissue. He was the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) also charged his alleged accomplice, Andy Thomas Owusu. They face accusations of corruption and abuse of public office. This 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, Bissue accepted bribes totaling GHC35,000. He received these bribes from Benjamin Adjapong, directly and through Owusu. This was to fast-track the renewal of an expired mining license for ORR Resources Enterprise without proper documentation.

Bissue faces nine counts, including Using Public Office for Profit. He allegedly received GHC15,000 on January 22, GHC10,000 on January 30, and another GHC10,000 on February 8. These payments were made to bypass IMCIM vetting processes.

He is also charged with Corruption by a Public Officer for accepting bribes to influence official duties. Andy Thomas Owusu faces six counts as well. These include aiding Bissue’s Corruption by acting as a middleman for payments.

Owusu is also charged with Corruption of a Public Officer and Accepting Bribes to Influence Bissue. He allegedly received GHC5,000 in Kumasi for falsely claiming he could secure favors from Bissue. The OSP’s investigation revealed that Owusu negotiated a GHC100,000 bribe during a sting operation by Tiger Eye P.I.

This amount was later reduced to GHC40,000 each with Adjapong posing as an ORR Resources representative. Ultimately, Bissue received GHC35,000 while Owusu pocketed GHC15,000 according to the prosecution's claims. In return for these payments, Bissue allegedly issued fraudulent permits declaring ORR Resources compliant with mining laws.

The IMCIM was established in 2017 to combat illegal mining but was dissolved in 2021 due to corruption scandals involving Bissue's alleged misappropriation of excavators and gold nuggets. In November 2024, the Human Rights Court dismissed suits filed by Charles Bissue aimed at preventing his arrest or investigation by the OSP.

Bissue had previously obtained a temporary injunction against his arrest but claimed it was unlawfully procured and intended to harass him. He sought a declaration that he was not wanted but failed to provide evidence supporting his claims in court.

The Judge ruled that no warrant had been issued against him and dismissed his claim as unfounded. The ruling allowed the OSP to continue its investigations into Bissue’s involvement with IMCIM and pursue other corruption-related charges depicted in the Tiger Eye P.I. documentary "Galamsey Fraud Part 1."