OSP Files Bribery Charges Against Charles Bissue

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

The charges were filed yesterday, April 28, 2025 at 12:38 p.m. local time, at the Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra, under the authority of Dr. Isidore Tufuor, Director of Prosecution at the OSP.

Both men face multiple counts of corruption, bribery and abuse of public office, related to their alleged involvement in facilitating the renewal of expired mining licenses without due process.

Their actions are said to have undermined regulatory mechanisms established to manage artisanal and small-scale mining in Ghana.

Charles Bissue, 52, listed as the first accused (A1), is facing three counts of using public office for profit under Section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and three counts of corruption by a public officer under Sections 239(1) and (3) of the same Act, as amended.

Andy Thomas Owusu, 43, the second accused (A2), although not a Public Officer, is alleged to have acted as a facilitator in Charles Bissue’s alleged criminal conduct.

He faces three counts of using public office for profit under Section 179C (b) of Act 29 and three counts of corruption for his role as a middleman in the bribery scheme.

Summary of Allegations

According to the charge sheet, Charles Bissue is alleged to have received a total of GH¢35,000 in three separate transactions between January and February 2019 from one Benjamin Adjapong.

These payments were reportedly made to expedite the renewal of expired mining licenses for ORR Resources Enterprise without proper verification or adherence to legal requirements.

The OSP contends that Charles Bissue exploited his position as Secretary of the IMCIM to bypass critical procedures outlined in the committee’s 2018 “Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (The Way Forward).”

The alleged misconduct includes skipping necessary steps such as permit acquisition, concession mapping, and entity vetting.

Andy Owusu is accused of receiving the bribe monies from Adjapong and transferring them to Charles Bissue.

This arrangement allegedly allowed Charles Bissue to benefit without direct contact with the bribe payer.

Details 

According to the court documents, the IMCIM was established in March 2017 by the Nana Akufo-Addo erstwhile administration to combat the rampant illegal small-scale mining (popularly known as galamsey) devastating the environment.

The Committee was tasked with vetting and verifying registered artisanal and small-scale mining companies to address irregularities and regularize operations within legal frameworks across Ghana’s mining districts.

Charles Bissue was appointed Secretary to lead the Secretariat, which was formally established on December 28, 2017.On April 1, 2017, a nationwide six-month moratorium was placed on all small-scale mining operations. This was later extended to nine months.

To enforce this ban, a joint security task force – Operation Vanguard – comprising about 400 personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces and Police Service was deployed to affected areas.

Entities that passed the IMCIM’s vetting were subsequently published and allowed to resume operations.

However, in January 2021, the committee was dissolved following several corruption allegations involving its top officials.

Mr. Charles Bissue’s charges are tied to allegations surrounding the seizure and management of excavators, road vehicles, gold nuggets, and other assets.

The OSP claims that Charles Bissue, in his official capacity, was responsible for vetting and verifying small-scale mining entities.

“Evidence will show that the first accused, with the collaboration and facilitation of the second accused, received for his personal profit GH¢35,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong to bypass IMCIM requirements under its 2018 Road Map,” the charge sheet reads.

These requirements included the verification of documents, acquisition of permits, concession mapping, and proper vetting.

The OSP further alleges that Andy Owusu received GH¢15,000 from Adjapong to influence Charles Bissue and expedite the mining license renewal process.

These illicit dealings were reportedly captured on camera by Tiger Eye P.I., a private investigative agency. In the footage, Owusu is seen allegedly demanding GH¢100,000 from Adjapong, to be shared between himself and Charles Bissue.

The negotiated bribe was later reduced to GH¢40,000, with GH¢35,000 and GH¢15,000 allegedly going to Charles Bissue and Andy Owusu, respectively.

“As a result of the payment made by Benjamin Adjapong to the accused persons, A1 unlawfully issued ORR Resources Enterprise with a sticker and permits, signifying compliance with all legal mining requirements, when in fact, those procedures had been circumvented,” the charge sheet concludes.

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