The High Court has convicted Thomas Andy Owusu, an aide to Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, over corruption charges linked to illegal mining licensing.
Owusu, the second accused in the case titled The Republic v. Charles Bissue & Another, entered a guilty plea as part of a plea agreement accepted by the Court on Monday, June 2.
The deal was reached under Section 71 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
According to the agreement, Owusu will pay:
• A fine of 500 penalty units (equivalent to GHS 6,000), and Restitution of GHS 200,000 to the state.
According to a statement from the OSP, the charge against Chairman Wontumi's aide was based on corruption of a public officer and accepting a bribe to influence a public officer
Mr. Owusu paid GH₵15,000 to Mr. Bissue to facilitate the unlawful issuance of mining permits.
These charges stem from the 2019 “Galamsey Fraud Part One” exposé by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI team.
As part of the agreement, Mr. Owusu’s name has been withdrawn from charges of corruption of a public officer and accepting bribes to influence a public officer.
With Owusu’s conviction secured, the state is now shifting its full attention to the prosecution of Charles Bissue, the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), who is alleged to have received the bribe.