Charles Bissue, the former secretary of the dissolved Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) has turned himself in to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), an official statement has said.
According to the statement, Bissue “was immediately placed under arrested, interviewed and subsequently released on bail.”
Earlier, the OSP declared the former secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining wanted.
The move followed days after the Office of the Special Prosecutor secured an order from the court to arrest Bissue.
Media reports suggested Bissue was not ready to turn himself in to the OSP.
But the OSP said it can arrest persons it reasonably suspects of having committed corruption or corruption-related offences without an arrest warrant.
The notice was given after the human rights court presided over by Justice Nicholas Abodakpi, granted an ex-parte (without notice to the other party) application by lawyers of Charles Bissue, restraining the OSP from arresting the former presidential staffer.
“Not a fugitive”
However, Bissue refuted claims suggesting that he has gone into hiding to avoid being probed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (14 June), Bissue said he will honour the invitation of the OSP at the appropriate time.
“I heard it on social media, so basically I didn’t think it will get to this,” Bissue said. “So, basically I was surprised. I am not a fugitive; I am in Ghana.”
“I have not been charged with anything; the Special Prosecutor invited me for an interview a few weeks ago and then I wasn’t well, so my lawyers wrote to his office to explain that they actually give me a week…
“Then they got back to say that they will not allow the one week so I should appear in a day or two. So, it was left to that… and later I heard that there has been an arrest warrant,” Bissue said.
Read the full statement below:
