Charles Bissue and Andy Owusu granted GHS 200,000 bail each in illegal mining corruption case

The Criminal Court 4 on Tuesday, April 6, 2025, granted bail to Charles Bissue, the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and one Andy Owusu, in the sum of two hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 200,000) each.

The bail conditions include two sureties, with one required to be justified, the deposition of their passports with the court registry, and monthly reporting to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

The ruling came after the court took the pleas of both accused individuals on the fifteen counts of corruption-related offenses leveled against them by the Special Prosecutor.

These charges accuse Bissue and Owusu of abusing their public office for personal gain in connection with illegal mining operations, a matter that has garnered significant public attention.

Specifically, the first count against Mr. Bissue alleges that he used his public office for profit, a contravention of Section 179 C (a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). The remaining fourteen counts detail further instances of alleged corruption and abuse of office.

During the court proceedings, both Charles Bissue and Andy Owusu pleaded not guilty to all fifteen charges. Their pleas set the stage the prosecution to prove the allegations of corruption.

Following the pleas, the court presided over the bail application. After considering the arguments presented, the presiding judge granted the aforementioned bail conditions.

The requirement for justified surety means that one of the individuals standing as guarantor for each accused must demonstrate sufficient financial or proprietary standing to cover the bail amount should the accused fail to appear in court.

The case has been adjourned to May 29, 2025, for a Case Management Conference.