The High Court has found Thomas Andy Owusu, an aide to Bernard Antwi-Boasiako—commonly known as Chairman Wontumi and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)—guilty of corruption charges linked to illegal mining licensing.
Owusu, the second defendant in the case The Republic v. Charles Bissue & Another, admitted guilt through a plea bargain, which the court accepted on Monday, June 2.
The plea agreement was executed under Section 71 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
Under the terms of the agreement, Owusu is required to:
- Pay a fine of 500 penalty units (GHS 6,000)
- Return GHS 200,000 to the state as restitution
According to a release by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the charges were based on allegations of bribery and attempting to influence a public official.
Investigations revealed that Owusu paid GH₵15,000 to Charles Bissue to unlawfully secure mining licenses.
These charges originate from the 2019 investigative report “Galamsey Fraud Part One” by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI team.
As part of the plea deal, corruption-related charges against Owusu—specifically bribing and attempting to influence a public official—have been withdrawn.
Now that Owusu’s case has been resolved, the focus shifts to the ongoing prosecution of Charles Bissue, the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), who allegedly accepted the bribe.
Source: Prime News Ghana And Other News Agencies
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