Former presidential staffer plead not guilty granted bail

Former presidential staffer Charles Bissue and one other person standing trial for corruption-related offences have pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against them by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

The Criminal Division of the High Court admitted the two accused persons to bail in the sum of GH¢ 200,000 each with two sureties, one of whom must be justified.

As part of the bail conditions, the passports of the accused persons are to be deposited with the Registry of the Court.

They have also been ordered to report to the Office of the Special Prosecutor once every month.

Charges

Per the charge sheet filed at the Accra High Court, the OSP alleged that Bissue used his position as secretary of the IMCIM for private gain by receiving a bribe of GH¢35,000 from one Benjamin Adjapong to help in the renewal of an expired mining licence by a supposed company known as ORR Resources Limited.

The OSP said the renewal was to be done by “circumventing established requirements of the IMCIM in respect of verification of documents, acquisition of relevant permits, demarcation and mapping of concessions and vetting, and thereby unlawfully securing a fast-track renewal of an expired mining licence”.

The criminal case stems from an exposé on corruption in the fight against illegal mining by private investigator Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his company, Tiger Eye P.I.

The second accused, Andy Thomas Owusu, is a former presidential staffer who has been accused of facilitating the payment of the alleged bribe money to Bissue.

Owusu is facing various counts of corruption of a public officer and accepting bribes to influence a public officer, and has been accused of pocketing GH¢15,000 from the alleged bribery scheme.

Prosecution’s facts
The facts of the case, as presented by the OSP, were that the IMCIM was established by then President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in March 2017 to deal with the illegal mining menace.

Among other things, the facts said the IMCIM was responsible for coordinating the activities of the fight against illegal mining, and as part of the fight, all artisanal and small-scale mining was suspended for six months in April 2017, which was later extended for nine months.

To resume work, the facts explained, small-scale mining companies were required to undergo a vetting and verification process in line with procedures established by the IMCIM.

According to the OSP, Bissue was in charge of the verification and vetting process, which the anti-graft body alleged he used for private gain.

“The evidence would establish that the first accused, with the collaboration and facilitation of the second accused, received for personal profit and benefit, a sum of thirty-five thousand cedis (GH¢35,000) from one Benjamin Adjapong,” the OSP stated.

“The evidence would further establish that the second accused received the sum of fifteen thousand cedis (GH¢15,000) from one Benjamin Adjapong to unduly influence the first accused, regarding the discharge of his duties as the Secretary of the IMCIM, to circumvent established requirements of the IMCIM under its Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (The Way Forward), 2018,” the OSP added.

The anti-graft body further stated that the said Benjamin Adjapong posed as an officer of ORR Resources Enterprise, which was seeking to renew its licence under the process, as part of an undercover operation by Tiger Eye P.I. into corruption in the activities of the IMCIM.

The OSP accused Owusu of demanding GH¢100,000 from Adjapong so that he could influence Bissue and help in the verification and renewal process.

“The fee was negotiated down to forty thousand cedis (GH¢40,000) apiece. The first accused received a total of thirty-five thousand cedis (GH¢35,000.00), while the second accused took a total of fifteen thousand cedis (GH¢15,000),” the OSP stated.

“As a result of the money paid by Benjamin Adjapong to the first and second accused under the criminal enterprise, the first accused unlawfully secured for and issued ORR Resources Enterprise with a sticker and the necessary permits signifying that ORR Resource Enterprise had complied with all lawful requirements to commence mining activities,” the OSP added.