Chairman Wontumi's aide convicted for bribery in mining licence scheme, fined GHS 200k

The High Court has convicted Thomas Andy Owusu, an aide to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (popularly known as Chairman Wontumi), in connection with a high-profile corruption case involving illegal mining licences.

Owusu, the second accused in the case of The Republic v. Charles Bissue & Another, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, following a plea agreement struck under Section 71 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).

The case stems from investigative footage captured in Tiger Eye PI’s 2019 exposé, Galamsey Fraud Part One, which implicated Owusu and then-presidential staffer Charles Bissue in a bribery scheme that enabled individuals to secure illegal mining permits outside official processes.

Under the plea deal, Owusu admitted to bribing a public officer with GH¢15,000 and was ordered to:

Pay a fine of 500 penalty units (GH¢6,000), and

Make restitution of GH¢200,000 to the state.

As a result of his guilty plea, the court struck out two additional charges against him — corruption of a public officer and accepting a bribe to influence a public officer.

With Owusu’s conviction finalized, attention now shifts to the first accused, Charles Bissue, who faces charges for using public office for profit under Section 179C(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

Bissue’s trial is expected to resume on June 10, 2025, with a case management conference scheduled.