Thomas Andy Owusu, an aide to Bernard Antwi-Boasiako—popularly known as Chairman Wontumi and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the  New Patriotic Party—pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a high-profile 2019 investigation that exposed widespread bribery in Ghana’s mining sector.

The High Court accepted Owusu’s plea deal Tuesday under Section 71 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, clearing the way for a conviction without trial. He admitted to bribing a public officer in connection with an effort to illegally secure mining licenses.

Under the terms of the agreement, Owusu will pay a fine of 500 penalty units—equivalent to 6,000 Ghanaian cedis (roughly $500)—as well as restitution of 200,000 cedis to the state. The sum covers a GHS 15,000 bribe he paid during the course of the alleged misconduct. Prosecutors subsequently dropped two related charges.

The case, formally titled The Republic v. Charles Bissue & Another, gained national attention after an undercover documentary by investigative outlet Tiger Eye PI linked Owusu and then-presidential staffer Charles Bissue to a bribery scheme involving the illegal fast-tracking of mining permits.

With Owusu’s conviction now finalized, focus shifts to Bissue, the remaining defendant. He faces charges of using public office for private gain, in violation of Section 179C(b) of Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act.

Mr. Bissue’s trial is set to resume on June 10 with a case management conference.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor, established in 2018 to independently tackle corruption, has made illegal mining—a politically sensitive and environmentally damaging practice—a central focus of its enforcement efforts.

Source:TheDotNews