You have no power to declare Charles Bissue wanted – Lawyer to Special Prosecutor

Private Legal Practitioner Lawyer Kwame Adofo has reprimanded the Special Prosecutor Mr Kissi Agyebeng for declaring Mr Charles Bissue wanted adding that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has no power to investigate the controversial galamsey report as the office claims.

According to him, since the issue has not been referred to the OSP by Parliament or the Attorney General, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng has no power to take such a decision and therefore cannot declare Mr Charles Bissue wanted.

According to him, the only way the OSP can have the mandate to investigate a matter is when the Attorney General or Parliament has referred it to him

Speaking on Angel FM in an interview monitored by MyNewsGH.com, Lawyer Kwame Adofo insisted that, “the only way he can get the locust is if these two bodies (the Attorney General and Parliament) refer a case for the OSP to investigate and prosecute”.

The statement from Lawyer Kwame Adofo comes after the Office of the Special Prosecutor declared the Former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Cronwell Nanabayin Onuawonto Bissue wanted.

The order was secured by the Office of the Special Prosecutor after Mr. Bissue failed to honour an invitation by the OSP last month.

But challenging the Constitutional Act the OSP built its reasons to declare Mr. Bissue wanted, Lawyer Kwame Adofo insisted that “you don’t have an automatic mandate to investigate the matter”. The Attorney General or Parliament must first refer the matter to you. You can decide what case you investigate. If the matter has not been referred to you, it means you have no power to investigate the matter,” he said

“From what I know, I’ve not heard that the Attorney General has referred the galamsey report to the OSP unless we are not aware then he should let us know”, he stressed.

Meanwhile, despite the order, a lawyer for Mr. Charles Bissue has insisted that his client will not turn himself in.