The Office of the Special Prosecutor has 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:

Charles Cromwell Nanabayin Onuawonto Bissue is wanted by the #OSP on Corruption and corruption-related offences regarding the activities and expenditure of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM)….: https://t.co/73Rfo4qFvC pic.twitter.com/Qm9Q8yYmES

— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) June 13, 2023

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