The High Court has rejected an application filed by Charles Bissue, a former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), seeking the temporary release of his passport to travel to the United Kingdom and the United States.
Presiding over the case, the court ruled that Bissue had failed to provide sufficient justification for his travel.
The judgment noted that his flight ticket had been purchased after the application was filed and that the school admission letter presented was only provisional.
The prosecution firmly opposed the motion, arguing that there was “no genuine intention” behind the request, suggesting it was an attempt to evade judicial proceedings.
With the application dismissed, the trial is set to resume on May 29, 2025.
Bissue faces corruption-related charges brought by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) following investigations into illegal mining activities during his tenure.
His legal troubles date back to November 2024, when the Human Rights Court dismissed multiple suits filed to prevent the OSP from arresting or investigating him.
The court determined that Bissue had failed to provide evidence supporting claims that a warrant for his arrest had been unlawfully procured. Instead, the judge dismissed his allegations as baseless, awarding a cost of GHC10,000 against him.
