An Accra high court has granted bail to Charles Bissue, a former senior government official, and Andy Thomas Owusu, both of whom face multiple corruption-related charges linked to illegal mining operations.
The Accra High Court on Monday set bail at 200,000 Ghanaian cedis (approximately $14,000) for each defendant. As part of the conditions, the court ordered each to provide two sureties, one of whom must be justified. Both men are required to surrender their passports to the court registry and report monthly to the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Mr. Bissue, who previously served as Secretary to the now-defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and Mr. Owusu face 15 counts including abuse of office for profit. Both have pleaded not guilty. The case has been adjourned until May 29.
The charges, filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), stem from alleged corrupt conduct during Mr. Bissue’s tenure at the IMCIM—a body set up to combat illegal mining, known locally as “galamsey.”
Prosecutors allege that in January 2019, Mr. Bissue received a payment of 15,000 cedis from businessman Benjamin Adjapong via Mr. Owusu in exchange for leveraging his official position. The payment, court filings suggest, was part of a broader scheme to facilitate unlawful mining activities.
Source:TheDotNews