Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor has brought corruption charges against Charles Bissue, former secretary of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, and businessman Andy Thomas Owusu.
The 15-count indictment accuses the pair of manipulating mining license procedures for financial gain.
Court documents allege Bissue accepted GH₵35,000 in bribes during early 2019 to expedite license renewal for ORR Resources Enterprise without required documentation. The payments, allegedly facilitated by Owusu, reportedly occurred across three transactions in January and February of that year. Bissue faces nine charges including abuse of office and corruption by a public officer, while Owusu stands accused on six related counts.
Prosecutors contend the payments were intended to circumvent standard vetting processes at a time when Ghana was intensifying its crackdown on illegal mining operations. The case highlights persistent challenges in regulating the country’s mining sector, where license irregularities have frequently surfaced.
Both defendants are scheduled for arraignment on May 6 at Accra’s High Court. The prosecution comes as Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions face increasing pressure to demonstrate effectiveness in high-profile cases. Legal observers note this marks one of the most significant tests of the Special Prosecutor’s mandate since the office’s creation in 2018.
The case revives scrutiny of the dissolved IMCIM’s operations, which were originally established to combat illegal mining but became embroiled in corruption allegations. Its 2021 disbandment followed multiple scandals, though few cases have reached advanced prosecution stages. This prosecution may signal renewed determination to address graft in Ghana’s natural resource governance systems.
Read the OSP’s full suit below:
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