The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has withdrawn all six charges of corruption and bribery against Owusu Andy Thomas, effectively clearing him of those allegations.
Andy Thomas was standing trial alongside Charles Bissue, former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), over a total of 15 counts related to corruption and bribery.
This comes shortly after the OSP announced on Monday, June 2, that it had accepted a plea bargain proposal from Andy Thomas Owusu.
The charges stemmed from a 2019 investigative exposé by undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which implicated several officials in alleged misconduct connected to illegal mining operations.
At the time of his discharge, Owusu was facing nine charges, including six directly tied to bribery and corruption.
However, the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra on Wednesday discharged him from all six corruption-related charges after a plea bargain agreement was accepted by the OSP.
As part of the negotiated settlement, the Court ordered Owusu to pay GH¢200,000 as restitution and reparation to the Republic.
This payment settles the remaining three charges in accordance with Section 71(4) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
The resolution of the case against Owusu marks a significant development in the broader legal proceedings that followed the anti-galamsey exposé, which triggered public debate and calls for accountability in Ghana’s fight against illegal mining.
The case involving his co-accused, Charles Bissue, remains pending.
Background
The two were standing trial over their alleged involvement in 15 criminal charges filed by the OSP.
The charges, filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra on April 28, alleged that between January and February 2019, Bissue — while serving as Secretary of the IMCIM — corruptly accepted bribes totaling GH¢35,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong, directly and through Owusu, to fast-track the renewal of an expired mining licence for ORR Resources Enterprise, without proper documentation.
In return, Bissue allegedly issued fraudulent permits and stickers declaring ORR Resources compliant with mining laws.
The case relates to the widely publicised Galamsey Fraud investigation, documented in the 2019 Tiger Eye P.I. report.
Although Bissue was initially cleared by the previous government, the OSP reopened the case and proceeded with criminal prosecution.
The IMCIM, established in 2017 to combat illegal mining (galamsey), was dissolved in 2021 following corruption scandals, including Bissue’s alleged involvement in the misappropriation of seized excavators and gold nuggets.
In November 2024, the Human Rights Court dismissed the final in a series of suits filed by Bissue aimed at preventing the OSP from arresting, investigating, or charging him.
Bissue had previously secured a 10-day ex parte injunction restraining the OSP from arresting him, arguing that the arrest warrant was unlawfully obtained and aimed at harassing him. He also sought a declaration that a public notice marking him as “wanted” was void.
In its judgment, however, the court found Bissue’s claims to be without merit, stating there was no evidence to support his allegations. The central question was whether an arrest warrant had indeed been issued by the Kaneshie District Court for the OSP.
The court ruled that it was Bissue’s responsibility to provide proof of the warrant — which he failed to do — and concluded that no such warrant existed. The judge dismissed the claim as a figment of Bissue’s imagination and awarded costs of GH¢10,000 against him.
This ruling cleared the path for the OSP to continue its investigations into Bissue’s involvement with the defunct IMCIM and to pursue separate charges arising from the Galamsey Fraud Part 1 documentary by Tiger Eye P.I.