On Monday, January 15, 2024, the legal proceedings for Charles Bissue, the former secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), took a significant turn as his lawyer's attempt to reverse the court's decision for cross-examination proved unsuccessful.
During the last court session, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) was granted permission to cross-examine Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah. This decision came in response to an affidavit submitted by Mr. Awuah, alleging that the OSP had secured a warrant for Bissue's arrest. However, the OSP disclosed on Facebook that no such warrant existed, as Mr. Awuah failed to produce it in court.
In response to the situation, the Court imposed a 10-day injunction, preventing the OSP from arresting Mr. Bissue.
Furthermore, the court mandated Mr. Bissue's lawyer to submit written submissions for the case, in accordance with its directive. However, the lawyer failed to meet this deadline, citing a torn ligament as the reason and requesting additional time.
The Court has now set February 1, 2024, as the deadline for Mr. Bissue's lawyer to file the written submissions and be ready for cross-examination.
Mr. Bissue was declared wanted by the OSP for not responding to an invitation related to the corruption investigation within the dissolved IMCIM. He was subsequently arrested and granted bail after voluntarily turning himself in.