The High Court in Accra has granted bail to Charles Bissue and Andy Owusu, each set at GH₵200,000 with two sureties. At least one of the sureties must be justified.
Bissue, the former Secretary to the now-defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and Owusu are facing 15 charges related to corruption, including abuse of office for profit.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
As part of their bail conditions, the accused are required to surrender their passports to the court registry and report to the OSP once every month.
The case has been adjourned to May 29, 2025.
According to court documents, the first charge alleges that Charles Bissue used his public office for personal gain, in violation of Section 179c(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). Specifically, he is accused of receiving GH₵15,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong through Andy Owusu on or around January 22, 2019, in Accra, in connection with illegal mining operations.
The charges stem from investigations conducted by the OSP into alleged corrupt activities linked to illegal mining.
