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The Office of the Special Prosecutor has obtained a court order for the arrest of the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM). This order was granted because Mr. Bissue did not comply with an invitation from the Special Prosecutor last month.
On May 3, the OSP sent a letter to Mr. Bissue informing him that he was required for the investigation into the activities of the IMCIM and asked him to appear at their offices on May 22. In response, Mr. Bissue’s lawyers requested a copy of the petition underlying the invitation and requested a rescheduling of the meeting to May 25 due to a domestic emergency.
Mr. Bissue’s lawyers claim the OSP rejected the proposed May 25 date and insisted on the May 22 date. As a result, the meeting did not take place, prompting the OSP to go to court to obtain an arrest warrant.
Mr. Bissue has now filed a new lawsuit asking the court to set aside the arrest warrant and assert his human rights are being violated by the investigative body. This is the third time Mr. Bissue has sued the OSP, with the previous two lawsuits relating to investigations stemming from an investigative documentary called “Galamsey Fraud Part I” by Tiger Eye P.I. and journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
In this case, Mr. Bissue also demanded a copy of the petition that initiated the probe and alleged that the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, authored the petition while working as a private practice lawyer before assuming office. He wants the court to prohibit the OSP from investigating him, arguing that the subject of the investigation has already been concluded by the Police Service’s CID. The outcome of these cases is yet to be determined.
This development comes just 24 hours after it was revealed that the former Environment Minister was released on a GHs2 million bail after cooperating with the OSP in their investigations into illegal mining activities during his tenure with the IMCIM taskforce.
In December 2022, the former Secretary of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) sought a court injunction to prevent the Office of the Special Prosecutor from investigating him. Charles Bissue filed the injunction at the Accra High Court.
On October 10, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng initiated an investigation into allegations of illegal mining (galamsey) involving certain public officials. The investigation targeted officials from the Lands Ministry, the Forestry Commission, and the dissolved IMCIM. The OSP stated the inquiry would also examine allegations of Charles Bissue’s use of public office for personal gain during his time as IMCIM secretary. These allegations were based on an investigative documentary by Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Tiger Eye P.I.
However, Charles Bissue, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is seeking to halt the investigation.
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Source: Omanghana.com
