Charles Bissue has asked the High Court to stop the Office of the Special Prosecutor from investigating and prosecuting him on the basis that he has already been investigated and set free by Ghana Police on allegations of corruption leveled against him by Tiger Eye P.I. in their documentary titled ‘Galamsey Fraud Part One’.
He's also filed an application to injunct the Special Prosecutor, Anas Anas & Tiger Eye from doing anything in relation to investigation and/ or prosecution of him till determination of the case. This process was first filed on the 23 December 2022.
This was subsequently amended the application on 4 of January 2023 without amending the affidavit in support. The OSP is opposed to the application in no uncertain terms.
Today in Court, lawyers for Mr. Bissue prayed to withdraw the application filed on 23 December 2022.
And also announced they have amended the affidavit in support of the application filed on 4 January 2023. This latest process, filed on 27th January 2023 is yet to be served on the OSP and the other Defendants.
The Court has adjourned the hearing of the injunction application to the 13 of March 2023 for Defendants to be served and for them to also respond if they deem fit to do so.
Background
Police investigations on allegations of corruption exonerated Charles Bissue in 2019.
According to his lawyers, a letter to the firm, Ampofo, Oppong and Associates, by the Police Criminal Investigations Department on its thorough investigation of the matter exonerated Charles Bissue of any wrongdoing.
According to the final report, the CID concluded, that, Charles Bissue did not circumvent the laid down procedures of the IMCIM in order to favour ORR Resource Enterprise, the company at the centre of the incident.
The report also observed that the documentary which was aired is not a true reflection of what transpired between the Presidential Staffer/Secretary and the said Yaw Ben of ORR Resource Enterprise.
The CID investigations primarily relied on documentary and other sources as already indicated.
In the undercover work of the ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI group exposing corruption, Bissue emerged as a facilitator for a company seeking to circumvent laid down processes to be given clearance for its mining operations.
He was captured in a secretly recorded video receiving wads of cash to facilitate the speedy clearance of a mining company in order for it to begin mining as soon as possible and is heard in the video instructing his subordinates over the phone to fast-track the processing of the company's documents.
Several others connected to the work of the IMCIM, otherwise known as the Presidential Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, are seen in the video playing "facilitating" roles at negotiated fees.
However, Mr Bissue in a letter to the President in March 2019 decided to step aside to avail himself for investigations after he was allegedly accused by Anas-Tiger Eye PI documentary on Galamsey fraud.
The documentary claimed, the Secretary was involved in alleged shady deals to facilitate processes for a mining firm called ORR Resource Enterprise.
The committee which Charles Bissue was a secretary to was put in place to address illegal mining and through that, it seized scores of excavators and arrested illegal miners including foreigners.