‘I’m not on the run – Charles Bissue’ response after OSP declares him wanted

‘I’m not on the run,’ Charles Bissue says when the OSP declares him wanted.

Charles Bissue, the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), has stated that he is not on the run.

He stated that the decision by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to declare him Wanted came as a surprise to him.

According to report by GhanaWeb following the OSP’s Wanted notice, Charles Bissue stated that he had nothing to hide and will undoubtedly appear at the investigator’s office.

“I’m shocked by it because I wasn’t in Accra and I knew they had invited me and there are other issues going on and all that, but then, you know, in the past, I’ve gone to the BNI, the CID, and even the Special Prosecutor’s Office when Martin Amidu was there.”

“So it’s not like I was avoiding that interview,” he explained.

Charles Bissue explained that he has not yet been able to honor the OSP’s invitation because he is not currently in Accra.

He highlighted that it comes as a surprise to him, especially since the OSP’s proclamation of him as Wanted presents a picture of him as a criminal or fugitive.

“What happened was that I was out of Accra, so my lawyers wrote to them saying that I would come, and then we learned about the arrest warrant.” In short, I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m in Ghana, and I’ll go to the Special Prosecutor’s office when I return to Accra, but why declare me Wanted, as if I’m a fugitive… “But the whole thing makes me look like a criminal,” he explained.

Charles Bissue emphasized that he is not on the run and that he is willing to supply the Office of the Special Prosecutor with any information needed to assist it with its work.

He informed the OSP that he would undoubtedly appear at their offices to assist them with their task.

“Visiting all these agencies and everything, the Ghanaian perception is that going to these places means you’re a criminal.” No. I’ll share any information I have in the interest of the country, so I haven’t fled anywhere. I’m in the country, and even though I was out of the jurisdiction last year, I have so many visas that if I had something to hide, I could have stayed out of the country.

“I’m in the jurisdiction, and I’ll go to the Special Prosecutor’s office to answer their questions,” he continued.

Context of the Story

Earlier, GhanaWeb reported that the Office of the Special Prosecutor had declared the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, Wanted.

In a notice shared on social media, on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, the OSP stated that Charles Bissue is being wanted regarding issues pertaining to his work on the dissolved IMCIM.

The notice which was titled “Wanted by the OSP” has a picture of Charles Bissue and his full name Charles Cromwell Nanabayin Onuawonto Bissue.

The alleged offences he was declared wanted for include: “corruption-related offences regarding the activities and expenditure of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), especially in respect of the seizure and management of excavators, machinery, road vehicles, and gold nuggets; and use of public office for profit”.

The OSP’s declaration comes after reports it had secured a warrant for the arrest of the former secretary to the IMCIM.

Meanwhile, the former chairman of IMCIM and former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, was arrested on May 16, 2023, in relation to some corruption allegations in the work of the IMCIM.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng was granted a GH¢2 million bail by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

This followed an invitation from the OSP to the former minister to appear before it in an ongoing investigation into some corruption-related matters relating to a report he spearheaded on activities of small-scale mining in the country.

According to a report by 3news.com, the renowned heart surgeon has since been granted bail.

On May 4, 2023, GhanaWeb reported that the former Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, had been invited by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, to assist with investigations following allegations raised in a report submitted to the presidency.

Prof. Frimpong had made suggestions that some elements in the New Patriotic Party and the government had made attempts to frustrate his work and sabotage him during his work as chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

In the statement dated, May 4, 2023, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng noted that he had duly received the invitation and had indicated his willingness to cooperate.

He noted that he was described as ‘a person necessary for the investigation’.

The investigations will help bring clarity to issues of suspected corruption and corruption-related offences in respect of the activities and expenditure of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

“I have formally communicated my willingness to attend the invitation and to support the OSP in its work,” he said.

View the wanted notice plus the post shared by the OSP below: