Charles Bissue with Nana Agyei Baffour-Awuah
The lead counsel for Charles Bissue, former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), has debunked claims that a court has refused an application brought before it on behalf of Mr. Bissue, against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Nana Agyei Baffour-Awuah was reacting to a publication by Citinewsroom.com, headlined “Charles Bissue’s application to stop OSP from arresting him fails”.
The publication referenced a post on the Facebook page of the OSP that claimed, “Charles Bissue’s lawyer was unsuccessful in seeking the court to rescind its decision to have him cross-examined.”
Mr. Baffour-Awuah said he felt scandalised by the alleged malicious publication and wondered why the OSP would purportedly engage in such falsehood.
“It is not true. There has not been any such application asking that Mr. Bissue should not be examined, and there has been no such order by the court.
“Indeed, the OSP has also made no such application to cross-examine Mr. Bissue. The OSP, in its answer to Mr. Bissue’s application, prayed to examine the deponent to the affidavit in support of Mr. Bissue’s application.
“The court, at the last adjourned date, acceded to that prayer. However, following the filing of the AG’s affidavit in answer, I drew the court’s attention to the redundancy of that direction and the court asked me to hold on and make the prayer at the next adjourned date when the hearing comes off,” Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah explained.
“The court, therefore, hasn’t refused any such application. I don’t know why the OSP will engage in such falsehood. Perhaps it is not receiving the right information from its agents after court.
“I was the one to be cross-examined and not Charles Bissue. I have not been well, and that is why I also asked for extra time to file my submission,” he pointed out.
Currently before the Human Rights court is an application for the enforcement of human rights of Charles Bissue.
The court, presided over by Justice Nicholas Mensah Abodakpi, on the last adjourned date, ordered parties to the case to file their written submissions.
Trial was supposed to begin on Monday, January 15, 2024, with a screening of a video evidence tendered in by lawyers of Charles Bissue. This process, however, could not be initiated.
Counsel for Charles Bissue averted the minds of the court to its earlier directive, and prayed for its reconsideration.
The case has been adjourned to February 1, 2024.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi