-BY Issah Olegor
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has intensified its crackdown on corruption tied to illegal mining activities by filing 15 charges against Charles Bissue, the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and businessman Andy Thomas Owusu.
The charges, filed at the High Court in Accra, relate to allegations of abuse of public office, corruption, and interference with Ghana’s regulatory framework for small-scale mining, commonly known as galamsey.
This development marks a significant escalation in the OSP’s efforts to tackle high-profile cases linked to the controversial and politically sensitive galamsey fight.
According to court documents, the OSP accuses Charles Bissue of using his official position for personal gain, in violation of Section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Specifically, Bissue is alleged to have accepted a bribe of GHC15,000 from one Bemanin Adjapong, facilitated through Andy Owusu, on or around January 22, 2019, in Accra.
Prosecutors contend that by receiving the bribe, Charles Bissue corruptly abused his office at the IMCIM by sidestepping key regulatory protocols outlined in the Committee’s 2018 “Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining.”
These protocols included stringent measures such as document verification, permit acquisition, mapping of concessions, and a thorough vetting process to ensure only qualified operators resumed mining activities after the government’s temporary ban on small-scale mining.
By fast-tracking the renewal of mining permits for certain individuals, the OSP argues, Charles Bissue not only undermined lawful procedures but also contributed to the broader environmental damage caused by unregulated mining operations across the country.
The detailed 15-count charge sheet outlines several instances where the accused persons allegedly engaged in acts that compromised public trust and weakened the national effort to sanitize the small-scale mining sector at a time when illegal mining was a major political and environmental crisis.
This prosecution is expected to be a landmark case for the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which has faced mounting public pressure to demonstrate effectiveness in holding politically exposed persons accountable, particularly in matters related to galamsey.
The IMCIM, which was established in 2017 under the previous administration to coordinate the fight against illegal mining, had itself come under intense scrutiny over allegations of corruption, inefficiency, and political interference.
Charles Bissue, who served as Secretary of the Committee, resigned in 2019 following an earlier exposé by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, though he denied any wrongdoing.
