Former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, has responded to a writ filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which seeks to prosecute him and Andy Thomas Owusu for alleged corruption and misuse of public office for profit.
The charges, filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra, alleged that between January and February 2019, Mr Bissue, while serving as IMCIM Secretary, corruptly accepted bribes totalling GHC35,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong, directly and through Owusu, to fast-track the renewal of an expired mining licence for ORR Resources Enterprise without proper documentation.
However, Mr Bissue, in a statement dated Tuesday, April 29, 2025, rejected these accusations.
"For the record, I categorically assert that I have always acted in full compliance with both the legal and ethical obligations of the office I held and the laws of the Republic of Ghana. Any suggestion of misconduct is baseless and will be vigorously challenged through due process,"
He further called for transparency in the trial, urging the OSP to present a complete, unedited, and unaltered version of the investigative video forming the basis of the prosecution.
According to him, this is critical to ensure that the truth is fully revealed, without distortion.
"I welcome the OSP’s decision to proceed with this case after more than five years of deliberation. To ensure transparency and fairness, I expect the OSP to submit to the court a complete, unedited, and unaltered version of the video documentary referenced in these proceedings. Ghanaians deserve access to the unvarnished truth and factual evidence, free from distortion or misdirection by external narratives or selective interpretations".
“I remain fully committed to cooperating with the proceedings and trust that the courts will adjudicate this matter impartially and conclusively,” he said.
