Charles Cromwell Bissue
PRESIDENTIAL STAFFER and Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Cromwell Bissu, has claimed his innocence in a documentary video which appears to suggest that he collected bribe to allegedly circumvent government’s efforts in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
Mr. Bissue has however indicated in a press statement that he is stepping aside as Secretary of IMCIM in the interest of transparency to allow a prove into the matter.
In the statement, he said “I would like to state at the very outset that I am innocent of the allegations levelled against me in the documentary as I was not and have not been engaged in any act of corruption, criminality or misconduct.
Goverment, it would be recalled, on Thursday, February 28, indicated that it was taking steps to carry out investigations into into the latest exposé of investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyew Anas.
The documentary show deep-seated corruption by individuals put in charge of the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
Captured in part of the documentary titled Galamsey Fraud is a presidential staffer and secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissiw.
Whilst a section of Ghanaians have been calling on the state to sanction persons captured taking alleged bribes in the exposé, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told journalists in Accra on Thursday that “Government will have the said tapes properly investigated using the raw unedited footage.”
He said “If any persons are found to have solicited monies or taken bribes to bend rules the necessary action will be taken.”
According to him, “Government welcomes any efforts aimed at assisting it succeed in its fight against illegal small scale mining.”
But Mr. Bissue said in the release that “I call for such an investigation and I am prepared to avail myself to the investigation process. I am confident that, at the end of it all, I will be exonerated and my good name be preserved.”
BY Melvin Tarlue