Chairman Wontumi’s Aide Convicted in Galamsey Corruption Case, Spotlight Turns to Charles Bissue
ACCRA – June 4, 2025 — Thomas Andy Owusu, an aide to Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (popularly known as Chairman Wontumi), has been convicted of corruption by the High Court in connection with the high-profile Republic v Charles Bissue case.
Owusu, the second accused, entered into a plea bargain with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and was convicted on his own plea on Wednesday, June 4.
Origins in Galamsey Fraud Exposé
The case stems from the 2019 Galamsey Fraud Part One exposé by Tiger Eye PI, which implicated Owusu and then-presidential staffer Charles Bissue in a scheme to bypass lawful mining licensing procedures in exchange for bribes.
According to prosecutors, Mr. Owusu paid GH₵15,000 to Mr. Bissue to unlawfully facilitate the issuance of mining permits — a bribe captured as part of the investigative documentary.
Court Sentencing and Restitution
The High Court accepted the plea deal, sentencing Mr. Owusu to pay 500 penalty units (GH₵6,000) and to refund GH₵200,000 to the state as restitution.
In return for the plea agreement, charges of corruption of a public officer and accepting bribes to influence a public officer were dropped against Mr. Owusu.
Focus Shifts to Charles Bissue
With Owusu’s conviction secured, the OSP is now intensifying efforts to prosecute Charles Bissue, the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), who is alleged to have personally received the bribe.
The case represents a rare successful conviction arising from investigative journalism, and marks another major step in the OSP’s renewed anti-corruption efforts under the current administration.
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