Court Grants Interim Injunction Restraining Special Prosecutor From Arresting Charles Bissue

An Accra High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) from effecting the arrest of Charles Bissue.

Mr. Bissue, a former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), had filed a suit at the court to stop the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) from prosecuting him on corruption charges.

On Thursday, June 15, the court presided over by Justice Nicholas Abodakpi also prohibited the Special Prosecutor from applying for any further arrest warrant until the determination of the substantive matter.

Additionally, the OSP is barred from publishing any notices declaring Charles Bissue wanted until the substantive matter is resolved.

The injunction remains in effect for 10 days.

The case has been adjourned to June 22, 2023, for further proceedings.

It will be recalled that the OSP had declared Charles Bissue, the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), wanted.

This declaration followed Mr. Bissue’s failure to respond to an invitation from the Special Prosecutor to appear and provide answers regarding an ongoing investigation into suspected corruption within the dissolved IMCIM.

“This is particularly in respect of the seizure and management of excavators, machinery, road vehicles, and gold nuggets and the use of public office for profit,” the statement from the OSP said.