'We are not afraid to prosecute him' - OSP responds to Bissue

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has dismissed claims by former Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining Secretary, Charles Bissue, that it is avoiding trial in his ongoing corruption case.

This follows an open letter from Bissue suggesting that the OSP is seeking to delay proceedings and is unwilling to continue prosecution.

However, the Director of Strategy, Research and Communication at the OSP, Sammy Darko on June 23, 2026, stated that the claims are inaccurate and do not reflect what is happening in court.

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According to him, the office did not ask for the case to be discontinued or enter a nolle prosequi, as suggested in public discourse.

“The OSP did not ask the court to terminate the case, enter a nolle prosequi, or discontinue the prosecution. It merely asked the court to temporarily suspend proceedings,” he said.

He explained that the request for suspension was linked to ongoing legal issues involving its prosecutorial authority.

It said the request was to allow clarity from the Supreme Court and to avoid legal complications while a related High Court order remains unresolved.

“That is not fear of trial. It is an attempt to avoid potential legal complications that could undermine future proceedings,” he explained.

On claims that parts of a witness statement were struck out and influenced the decision to suspend proceedings, Darko described the assertion as misleading.

“The paragraphs struck out were from one witness statement and related to matters concerning a former co-accused of Mr Bissue, not the entirety of the prosecution's case against him,” Darko stated.

The OSP also pointed out that a co-accused in the case has already been convicted.

“His co-accused, Thomas Andy Owusu, has already admitted wrongdoing, entered into a plea agreement, and been convicted by the High Court in connection with the same case,” he noted.

Darko added that the trial court has already ruled that the OSP can proceed with the case despite earlier legal challenges, and said it will continue its prosecution within the law.

The OSP also addressed conflict-of-interest claims involving the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, saying the allegations have not been backed by any judicial finding.

It maintained that previous legal representation does not automatically amount to conflict of interest and noted that earlier petitions on the matter were not initiated by the Special Prosecutor himself.

“Mr. Bissue has repeated old conflict-of-interest allegations against the Special Prosecutor, but these claims have never resulted in any judicial or administrative finding against him. Previous legal representation does not automatically create a conflict, and the petition raising the issue was not authored by Mr. Agyebeng but by Tiger Eye P.I,” he clarified.

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The OSP further said it is contradictory for Bissue to claim the office is both delaying the case and also attempting to prosecute him unlawfully.

Darko added that the office has consistently acted within legal limits while pursuing the case.

MAG/VPO

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