Former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, has described the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) new criminal charges against him as baseless.
The OSP, on Monday, April 28, 2025, filed 15 criminal charges against Mr. Bissue and his alleged accomplice, Andy Thomas Owusu, for corruption and abuse of public office in a mining licensing scandal involving GH¢35,000.
The charges, filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra, allege that between January and February 2019, Mr. Bissue, while serving as IMCIM Secretary, corruptly accepted bribes totaling GH¢35,000 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.
However, Mr. Bissue has questioned the timing of the charges, noting that the prosecution is being pursued under a new administration—distinct from the one in which he served.
He has vowed to challenge the OSP’s charges through due process, stressing that he acted in full compliance with the law.
“I categorically assert that I have always acted in full compliance with both the legal and ethical obligations of the office I held, and the laws of the Republic of Ghana. Any suggestion of misconduct is baseless and will be vigorously challenged through due process,” he said in a statement.
Calling for full transparency in the trial, Mr. Bissue urged the OSP to present a complete, unedited, and unaltered version of the investigative video underpinning the prosecution.
Meanwhile, he reaffirmed his commitment to cooperate fully with the legal process, appealed for public restraint, and urged trust in the integrity of the judicial system.
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Read the full statement:
