The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has officially dropped all six corruption and bribery charges against Thomas Owusu Andy, clearing him of these allegations.
Owusu was previously on trial with Charles Bissue, the former Secretary of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, facing a total of 15 counts related to corruption and bribery.
These charges originated from a 2019 investigative report by undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which highlighted potential misconduct by several officials in the realm of illegal mining.
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At the point of his discharge, Owusu had nine charges against him, six of which were directly related to corruption.
However, on Wednesday, the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra dismissed those six charges after a plea bargain agreement was reached with the OSP.
As part of this agreement, the Court has directed Owusu to pay GH¢200,000 as restitution and reparation to the Republic, which resolves the remaining three charges under Section 71(4) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
This resolution represents a significant step in the ongoing legal ramifications stemming from the anti-galamsey investigation, which has fuelled public demands for enhanced accountability in Ghana’s efforts against illegal mining.
Meanwhile, the case against Charles Bissue is still ongoing.
