Former Presidential staffer, Mr Charles Cromwell Nanabanyin Onuawonto Bissue, has been dragged to the Accra High Court, Criminal Division, by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for various criminal offences related to illegal mining.
Mr Bissue, also the secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), established by former President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been charged together with Anthony Thomas Owusu for 15 counts, including using public office for profit, corruption by public office and bribery.
The facts according to the OSP are that in March 2017, former President, Akufo-Addo, established (IMCIM) to tackle the scourge of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) which was devastating the country’s land and water resources.
According to the facts sheet signed by Dr Isidore Tufuor, Director of Prosecutions (OSP), the mandate of the Committee was, inter alia, to vet and verify registered artisanal and small-scale mining companies and to regularise any discrepancies where possible, and to sanitise and regularise small-scale mining activities in the various mining districts in order to ensure that miners worked within the legal framework.
It said a Secretariat of the Committee was created on December 28, 2017 to coordinate its activities.
The facts sheet said on April 1, 2017, a moratorium was instituted for a six-month suspension of artisanal and small-scale mining operations throughout the country.
It also stated that to enforce the ban, Operation Vanguard, made up of 400 persons drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service, was deployed on July 31, 2017 to endemic mining areas in the Eastern, Central, Ashanti and Western Regions.
The vetting and verification process of small-scale and artisanal mining entities was governed by established requirements of the IMCIM under its Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (The Way Forward), 2018, which prescribed procedures for the verification of documents, acquisition of relevant permits, demarcation and mapping of concessions.
Additionally, the facts sheet said successfully vetted and verified entities were subsequently registered as artisanal and small-scale mining concerns and certified to resume their businesses.
It further stated that details of the successfully vetted small-scale miners who were allowed to commence mining operations were published in national and private newspapers, on radio and television stations, and also on the IMCIM’s official webpage.
The facts sheet added that January 20, 2021, the President dissolved the IMCIM, following scandals and allegations of corruption and corruption-related activities levelled against some of its principal officers, including Mr Bissue – especially in respect of the seizure and management of excavators, machinery, road vehicles, and gold nuggets.
“The evidence would establish that at all material times, the First Accused was the Secretary of the IMCIM. While holding that public office the First Accused was the officer primarily responsible for the vetting and verification of small-scale and artisanal mining entities, which qualified successfully verified entities to resume mining activities,” the facts sheet added.
Moreover, it said that evidence would establish that Mr Bissue with the collaboration and facilitation of Mr Owusu received for his personal profit and benefit of GH¢35,000.00 from one Benjamin Adjapong for the purpose of circumventing established requirements of the IMCIM under its Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (The Way Forward), 2018 in respect of verification of documents, acquisition of relevant permits, demarcation and mapping of concessions, and vetting; and thereby unlawfully securing a fast-tracked renewal of an expired mining licence to ORR Resources Enterprise without valid documentation.
The facts sheet again continue that the evidence would further establish that Mr Owusu received GH¢15,000.00 from one Benjamin Adjapong for the purpose of unduly influencing Mr Bissue, in respect of the discharge of his duties as the Secretary of the IMCIM, to circumvent established requirements of the IMCIM under its Road Map for Lifting of Ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (The Way Forward), 2018 in respect of verification of documents, acquisition of relevant permits, demarcation and mapping of concessions, and vetting; and thereby unlawfully securing a fast-tracked renewal of an expired mining licence to ORR Resources Enterprise without valid documentation.
Acting Executive Secretary of the Authority, Kafui Danku Pitcher, copied the Ghanaian Times, expressed deep concern over the increasing unauthorised use and broadcast of creative content on traditional and digital TV platforms.
The NFA also noted that the illegal airing of films, series, and other creative works, often without the consent of rights holders, undermined content creators’ rights and discourages investment in the sector. The statement reminded broadcasters that the Copyright Act, 2005 (Act 690), and other applicable laws, provide clear regulations on the use of protected
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
