OSP drags Charles Bissue to court over alleged corruption

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has dragged former Presidential staffer Charles Bissue to court over allegations of corruption.

Mr. Bissue, who served as the secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCM), faces multiple charges related to corruption by a public official and misuse of public office for personal gain.

The OSP is accusing Bissue of allegedly using his office as Secretary of the IMCM to collect GH¢35,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong “for the purpose of circumventing established requirements of the IMCM in respect of verification of documents” for the renewal of a mining license.

The next accused person, Andy Thomas Owusu, is on trial for purportedly facilitating the payment to Bissue.

He faces several charges as well, including corruption of a public officer and accepting bribes to influence a public officer.

The charge sheet was filed at the High Court in Accra on Monday, April 28, 2025, and officially signed by the Director of Prosecutions of the OSP, Dr. Isidore Tufuor.

Background

Charles Bissue was arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) after reporting to the office several weeks after an invitation on June 21, 2023.

He was later granted bail.

It will be recalled that in December 2022, the former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) wanted the court to prevent the Office of the Special Prosecutor from investigating him.

This came after the Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng investigated some public officials over their alleged involvement in illegal mining (galamsey) in October 2022.

The investigation targeted some officials of the Lands Ministry, the Forestry Commission, and the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).