‘Is that the way you conduct investigations? – Charles Bissue’s lawyer slams special prosecutor over court warrant

Lawyer for Charles Bissue, the former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal mining, has criticized the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, for hastily securing an arrest warrant against his client.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM on June 8, 2023, Lawyer Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah questioned the motives behind the Special Prosecutor's rush to arrest Bissue, especially when according to him there are three pending suits against the prosecutor himself.

Expressing his concerns, the lawyer remarked, "Why can't he allow the processes to run their course? Is it because he has got scores to settle? There is another suit in our human rights court by Charles Bissue where he complains of warrant and breach of his fundamental human rights. When the Special Prosecutor went to secure that warrant, I am sure he didn't disclose all these facts,” myjoyonline.com quoted him to have said.

He further pointed out that the Special Prosecutor failed to specify the documentation required from his client. He questioned the proper discretion and professionalism employed by the Special Prosecutor in conducting the investigation, suggesting that important information may have been omitted when securing the arrest warrant.

“You (Special Prosecutor) proceed to say that he should rather make available copies of documentation, what documentation are you talking about? Documentations to speak to or respond to what? You never stated so. So, is it proper discretion? Is that the way you conduct an investigation?”

The lawyer emphasized that had the court been made aware of all the relevant facts, including the pending suits and motions for interlocutory injunctions, the order for his client's arrest would not have been granted.

“If the court was privy to certain facts including but not limited to pending suits and motions for interlocutory injunctions, it would not have granted or made an order for that arrest.”

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has reportedly secured a warrant for the arrest of the former secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

This is according to a post shared by JoyNews on Twitter on Thursday, June 8, 2023.

It is not clear why the warrant was issued but it might be related to the arrest of the former chairman of IMCIM and former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, by the OSP.

The former minister was arrested on May 16, 2023, in relation to some corruption allegations in the work of the IMCIM.

However, Prof Frimpong-Boateng has been granted a GH¢2 million bail by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

It may be recalled that Charles Bissue had previously approached the High Court in an attempt to prevent the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) from investigating him over allegations of corruption and corruption-related offenses involving a public officer.

His argument was based on the premise that an investigation cannot commence without providing him with a copy of the petition that formed the basis of the investigation.

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