Charles Bissue, another face 15 criminal charges over galamsey licensing scandal

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has initiated criminal proceedings against Charles Bissue, former Secretary of the now-defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and his alleged accomplice, Andy Thomas Owusu. 

The two face 15 charges stemming from accusations of corruption and abuse of public office in a mining license renewal scheme involving GHC35,000.

The charges, filed on April 28 before the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra, center on events between January and February 2019. Prosecutors allege that Mr. Bissue, while acting as Secretary of the IMCIM, accepted bribes amounting to GHC35,000 from Benjamin Adjapong, either directly or through Mr. Owusu, to expedite the renewal of a mining license for ORR Resources Enterprise without following proper procedures.

According to court documents, Bissue is facing nine counts, including allegations under Section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), for using his public office for personal gain. He is said to have taken GHC15,000 on January 22, GHC10,000 on January 30, and an additional GHC10,000 on February 8 to circumvent established vetting protocols. Further charges under Sections 239(1) and 239(3) of Act 29 (as amended by Act 1034) accuse him of corruption in the execution of his public duties.

Andy Thomas Owusu, described as a go-between, is charged with six counts, including aiding and abetting corruption under Section 179C(b), as well as corrupting a public officer under Sections 239(2) and 252(1). Investigators allege that Owusu collected GHC5,000 in Kumasi by falsely promising influence over Bissue’s actions.

The OSP’s investigations, aided by undercover work from Tiger Eye P.I., revealed that Owusu negotiated an initial bribe of GHC100,000 — eventually adjusted to GHC40,000 each — with Adjapong, who posed as a representative of ORR Resources. Ultimately, prosecutors say Bissue received GHC35,000, and Owusu retained GHC15,000 from the transaction.

In exchange for these payments, Bissue is alleged to have issued fraudulent authorizations and stickers certifying ORR Resources as compliant with Ghana’s mining regulations.

The IMCIM was established in 2017 as a task force to combat illegal mining but was dissolved in 2021 following multiple corruption scandals, including allegations against Bissue involving the misappropriation of excavators and gold.

In related legal battles, the Human Rights Court in November 2024 dismissed Bissue’s lawsuit aimed at halting his arrest and prosecution by the OSP. He had earlier secured a short-term injunction against the OSP’s actions, claiming that a warrant for his arrest had been unlawfully obtained and that the move was intended to harass him.

However, in its ruling, the Court found no merit in Bissue’s claims. It held that there was no proof that a valid arrest warrant had been issued by the Kaneshie District Court at the OSP’s request. Consequently, the Court described Bissue’s allegations as entirely baseless and awarded GHC10,000 in costs against him.

This dismissal has cleared the way for the Special Prosecutor to advance its investigations and pursue further charges against Bissue, including those linked to allegations made in the investigative documentary Galamsey Fraud Part 1 by Tiger Eye P.I.