The Criminal Division of the High Court has granted an application by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for its first prosecution witness to testify in camera, citing a significant risk to the witness should his identity be disclosed publicly.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, allows the undercover investigator—identified in court documents as Benjamin Agyepong—to give evidence without public exposure, a decision the OSP argued was necessary given the violence often associated with the multi-billion-dollar illegal mining (galamsey).
Charles Bissue and two others are on trial for alleged corruption and abuse of office, accused of bypassing procedures of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) to benefit a company deemed unqualified.
The case stems from the investigative documentary “Galamsey Fraud Part I,” published by Tiger Eye P.I. and a subsequent complaint to the OSP. All three have pleaded not guilty.
The accused have also opposed a prosecution request to permit an investigative journalist involved in the media exposé to give evidence.
The matter has been adjourned to January 12, 2026 for trial.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has filed 15 criminal charges against Charles Bissue, former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and his alleged accomplice, Andy Thomas Owusu, for corruption and abuse of public office.
The charges, filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra on April 28, allege that between January and February 2019, Mr Bissue, while serving as IMCIM Secretary, corruptly accepted bribes totaling GHC35,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong, directly and through Owusu, to fast-track the renewal of an expired mining license for ORR Resources Enterprise without proper documentation.
The charges include multiple counts against both accused. Bissue faces nine counts, including Using Public Office for Profit under Section 179C(a) of Act 29 for allegedly receiving 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 (as amended by Act 1034) for accepting bribes to influence official duties.
Republic v. Charles Bissue & Others
The Criminal Division of the High Court has granted an application by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for its first prosecution witness to testify in camera, citing a significant risk to the witness should his identity be publicly… pic.twitter.com/Il4OZF1l2u
— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) December 9, 2025
