Court allows OSP witness to testify in secret in Charles Bissue trial

The Criminal Division of the High Court has approved a request from the Office of the Special Prosecutor for its first witness in the corruption trial of Charles Bissue to testify in camera.

The decision was delivered on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, by Justice Audrey Kocuvie Tay, who agreed that revealing the identity of the witness could place him at serious risk.

The witness, an undercover investigator identified in court filings as Benjamin Agyepong, is expected to provide key evidence linked to illegal mining activities.

The OSP argued that the violent nature of the galamsey economy makes the protection of investigators essential, especially those who have previously infiltrated criminal networks.

Bissue, a former Secretary of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, is standing trial with two others for alleged corruption and abuse of office.

Prosecutors say the accused bypassed established procedures to benefit a company that did not qualify for mining authorisation.

The case emerged from the investigative film “Galamsey Fraud Part I” by Tiger Eye PI and a subsequent petition to the OSP. All the accused have pleaded not guilty.

The defence team has opposed another request from the prosecution that seeks to allow a journalist involved in the exposé to take the stand.

The court will address that issue when the hearing resumes on January 12, 2026.

The OSP has brought fifteen charges against Bissue and an alleged accomplice, Andy Thomas Owusu.

Prosecutors claim that between January and February 2019, Bissue accepted bribes amounting to thirty-five thousand cedis to fast-track the renewal of a mining licence for ORR Resources Enterprise.

According to the OSP, “the pattern of payments shows a deliberate effort to influence official duties”.