Charles Bissue and Andy Owusu granted GH₵200,000 bail each

A former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), and Andy Owusu, an aide to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, have been granted bail in the sum of GH₵200,000 each by the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra.

The two appeared before the court on Tuesday, May 6, over their alleged involvement in 15 criminal charges filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), where their respective pleas were formally taken.

Following brief proceedings, the court admitted them to bail, setting the bond at GH₵200,000 apiece, with two sureties each, one of whom is required to be justified.

The matter has been adjourned to 29th May, 2025 for a Case Management Conference (CMC), a procedural step designed to streamline the trial process by clarifying issues, disclosing evidence, and setting timelines.

The charges were filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra on April 28, alleging that between January and February 2019, Mr Bissue, while serving as IMCIM Secretary, corruptly accepted bribes totaling GH₵35,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong, directly and through Owusu, to fast-track the renewal of an expired mining licence for a mining company, ORR Resources Enterprise without proper documentation.