The Criminal Court 4 in Accra on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, took the pleas of Charles Cromwel Bissue and Andy Owusu, who are standing trial for 15 counts of corruption-related offences, including abuse of office for profit.
Both accused persons pleaded not guilty.
The Court granted each accused person bail in the sum of GHC200,000 with two sureties, one of whom must be justified.
As part of the bail conditions, the passports of both accused are to be deposited with the Registry of the Court.
They are also to report to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) once every month.
The matter has been adjourned to May 29, 2025 for a Case Management Conference.
Background
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) slapped 15 counts of corruption charges against Charles Bissue, a former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
The charges, filed at the High Court, accused Charles Bissue and one Andy Owusu of abusing public office for personal gain in connection with illegal mining operations.
In the first count, Mr. Bissue is accused of using his public office for profit, contrary to Section 179 C (a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
According to the charge sheet, he allegedly received GHC15,000 from one Bemanin Adjapong through Andy Owusu on or around January 22, 2019, in Accra.
The OSP alleges that Bissue corruptly abused his position as IMCIM Secretary by accepting the money to circumvent established procedures outlined in the Committee’s 2018 “Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining.”
These procedures included the verification of documents, acquisition of relevant permits, demarcation and mapping of concessions, and vetting processes.
Through this action, Bissue is alleged to have unlawfully fast-tracked the renewal of mining permits for specific operators.
I trust this matter will be adjudicated ‘impartially’ – Charles Bissue on OSP’s corruption charges
By Christian Yalley
