Wontumi’s Aide Convicted In Galamsey Fraud Case, Fined GH₵200k

Thomas Andy Owusu, an aide to Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has been convicted of corruption by the High Court on Wednesday, June 4, in connection with the Republic v Charles Bissue case.

Mr. Owusu, the second accused in the matter, was convicted on his plea after entering into a plea bargain with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

He was charged with bribery stemming from the Galamsey Fraud Part One exposé by investigative outfit Tiger Eye PI.

 

The exposé, released in 2019, implicated Owusu and then-presidential staffer Charles Bissue in a scheme to circumvent mining licensing procedures in exchange for bribes. According to prosecutors, Mr. Owusu paid GH₵15,000 to Mr. Bissue to facilitate the unlawful issuance of mining permits.

 

The High Court accepted the plea deal and sentenced Mr. Owusu to pay five hundred penalty units, amounting to GH₵6,000, and ordered him to pay GH₵200,000 in restitution to the state.

 

As part of the agreement, Mr. Owusu’s name has been withdrawn from charges of corruption of a public officer and accepting bribes to influence a public officer.

 

With Owusu’s conviction secured, the state is now shifting its full attention to the prosecution of Charles Bissue, the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), who is alleged to have received the bribe.

 

 

 

Read OSP’s publications below 

Aide to Wontumi Convicted in Galamsey Bribery Case
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Accra, 4 June 2025 – The High Court today convicted Thomas Andy Owusu, aide to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (popularly known as Chairman Wontumi), in a corruption case tied to illegal mining licensing.

Owusu, the second accused in the case of The Republic v. Charles Bissue & Another, was convicted on his own plea after the Court accepted a plea agreement entered under section 71 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959). The charge was based on Corruption of a Public Officer and Accepting Bribe to Influence a Public Officer.

This case stems from the 2019 “Galamsey Fraud Part One” investigation by Tiger Eye PI, which implicated Owusu and then-presidential staffer Charles Bissue in facilitating illegal mining licences for bribes, bypassing official processes.

According to the agreement, Owusu will pay:
• A fine of 500 penalty units (equivalent to GHS 6,000), and
• Restitution of GHS 200,000 to the state.

For bribing a public officer with GHS 15,000.

Following his conviction, the court struck out two additional charges — Corruption of a Public Officer and Accepting Bribe to Influence a Public Officer.

Owusu’s conviction narrows the case to focus solely on the first accused, Charles Bissue, accused of Using Public Office for Profit, contrary to section 179C(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). His trial will continue on 10 June 2025 with a scheduled Case Management Conference.
 

 

 

 

 
Criminal Court to Consider Plea Agreement Between OSP and Thomas Andy Owusu Tomorrow
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The Criminal Court is set to consider a plea agreement tomorrow between the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and Thomas Andy Owusu, the second accused in the case of Republic v. Charles Bissue and Another.

In a related, the Supreme Court has delivered a ruling in the ongoing civil legal dispute between Charles Bissue and the OSP.

In 2023, Bissue filed a case at the Human Rights Court, claiming that the OSP had unlawfully obtained an arrest warrant for his apprehension. The OSP denied this, stating that it did not require a warrant to arrest Bissue. The Kaneshie District Court, which Bissue alleged had issued the warrant, confirmed it had not granted any such order. The Attorney-General, representing the District Court, also testified that no warrant existed.
Bissue was unable to produce the alleged warrant and instead relied on an interview granted by the Special Prosecutor on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme. His legal team argued that the remarks in the interview led them to believe a warrant had been issued.

The Human Rights Court, after confirming the non-existence of a warrant, dismissed the case and ruled that there was no need to play the interview or allow the cross-examination of Bissue’s lawyer.

Dissatisfied with the decision, Bissue petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling. Today, the Supreme Court ordered that the Newsfile interview be played in court to allow the contents to be properly assessed. The decision means the matter returns to the Human Rights Court, where the OSP will also be allowed to cross-examine Bissue’s lawyer on the alleged existence of the warrant.
 

 

 

WATCH: I’ve Been Investigated By NIB Too: NAPO Breaks Silence On Wontumi’s Arrest & Ofori-Atta’s Status

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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