Accra: An Accra High Court has granted a GH?200,000 bail with two sureties, one to be justified to Charles Bissue, a former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and Andy Thomas Owusu. They are facing trial for 15 counts of corruption-related offences, including abuse of office for profit. Both individuals have pleaded not guilty.
According to Ghana News Agency, the accused are required to deposit their passports with the Registry of the Court and report to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) once every month. The case has been adjourned to May 29, 2025, for a Case Management Conference.
The charge sheets indicate that Bissue is accused of using his public office for profit, in violation of Section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). It is alleged that he received GH?15,000 from an individual named Bemanin Adjapong through Owusu on or around January 22, 2019, in Accra.
The OSP alleges that Bissue corruptly abused his position as the IMCIM Secretary by accepting the money to bypass established procedures outlined in the Committee’s 2018 ‘Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining.’ These procedures involved the verification of documents, acquisition of relevant permits, demarcation and mapping of concessions, and vetting processes.
Through these actions, Bissue allegedly facilitated the unlawful fast-tracking of mining permit renewals for specific operators. The 15-count charge sheet outlines multiple offences related to abuse of office, corruption, and efforts to undermine lawful mining regulations during Ghana’s crackdown on illegal mining activities, commonly referred to as ‘galamsey.’
