A former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, has been granted bail following 15 new corruption-related charges filed against him by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
It is not clear when Charles Bissue was arrested, but the OSP, in a post on X on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, indicated that he had been granted bail to the sum of GH¢200,000.00.
The former secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining was also required to provide two sureties as part of his bail conditions, with one of the sureties to be “justified.”
In addition, his passports are to be deposited at the court’s registry, which implies that he has been barred from travelling outside the country and would need the express permission of the court to do so.
The OSP also stated that Charles Bissue is to report to its office every month as part of the terms of the bail, adding that the case had been adjourned to May 29, 2025.
“Court Update: In Republic v. Bissue & Owusu, both pleaded not guilty to 15 counts including abuse of office for profit.
“Bail: GHS 200k each, 2 sureties (1 justified), passports deposited with court. To report to OSP monthly. Adjourned to 29 May 2025,” the post by the OSP reads.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has charged Charles Bissue and Andy Thomas Owusu with 15 counts of corruption-related offences.
The charges, filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra on April 28, 2025, allege that between January and February 2019, while serving as IMCIM secretary, Charles Bissue accepted a total of GH¢35,000.00 from one Benjamin Adjapong, directly and through Owusu, to fast-track the renewal of an expired mining license for ORR Resources Enterprise.
According to court documents sighted by GhanaWeb on Monday, April 28, 2025, Charles Bissue faces nine counts, including Using Public Office for Profit under Section 179C(a) of Act 29, for receiving GH¢15,000.00 on January 22, GH¢10,000.00 on January 30, and another GH¢10,000.00 on February 8, to bypass IMCIM vetting processes.
He is also charged with Corruption by a Public Officer under Sections 239(1) and (3) of Act 29 (as amended by Act 1034) for accepting bribes to influence official duties.
In a statement sighted by GhanaWeb, Charles Bissue said that the charges filed against him and Andy Thomas Owusu relate to allegations made in the 2019 “Galamsey Fraud” documentary by Tiger Eye PI.
He added that while he welcomes the decision of the OSP, all the allegations against him are unfounded and will be challenged in court.
Discussion about this post