Bissue Corruption Trial: Court removes portions of prosecution witness statement

A High Court has upheld a defence application in the ongoing criminal trial involving former Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) Secretary, Charles Cromwell Nanabanyin Onuawonto Bissue, striking out portions of the prosecution’s witness statement on the grounds of hearsay.

Delivering her ruling on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Justice Audrey Kouvi Koku of High Court Criminal Court 3 upheld an application filed in February 2026 seeking to strike out parts of the prosecution’s key witness statement. The court ruled that the affected paragraphs constituted hearsay evidence and were therefore inadmissible.

The decision removes a substantial portion of the statement of prosecution witness Benjamin Adjapong ahead of his scheduled testimony on Thursday, June 11, 2026, when he is expected to face examination and cross-examination.

The ruling narrows the scope of evidence to be considered at trial and sets the stage for a closely contested case centred on undercover recordings and alleged financial inducements.

At the centre of the prosecution’s case is testimony from Benjamin Adjapong, an undercover investigator with Tiger Eye PI, who detailed alleged payment arrangements involving the accused persons.

He told the court that the second accused person proposed a payment structure in which “One Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵100,000.00) for the job, out of which Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵50,000.00) would be given to the first accused person and the remaining Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵50,000.00) would be for him.”

He further alleged that the second accused person demanded “Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵20,000.00) as a down payment of the Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵50,000.00) to be paid to the first accused person as a supposed Christmas gift.”

The witness also stated that, “I paid him Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵5,000.00) as part payment of his share of the amount charged.”

He further testified that, “I paid the first accused person Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (₵10,000.00) in cash. He got up and directed me to drop the cash in a drawer, which I did.”

Here's the latest update on Charles Bissue's corruption case

The defence insists that the case must be determined strictly on admissible evidence as the trial continues.

Bissue is facing 15 counts of corruption by a public officer and using public office for personal benefit, contrary to Section 179C(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

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