Thomas Andy Owusu an aide to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi has been convicted in a a corruption case tied to illegal mining licensing.
It was earlier revealed that Thomas Andy Owusu was seeking a plea deal with the Office of the Special Prosecutor in Charles Bissue’s corruption trial.
Andy Owusu was dragged to court alongside former presidential staffer Charles Bissue on 15 counts of corruption-related offences.
Andy Owusu and Charles Bissue have been accused of abusing their public office positions for personal gain in connection with illegal mining operations, including unlawfully fast-tracking the renewal of mining permits for specific mining firms contrary to Section 179C(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Wontumi’s aide was convicted on his plea after entering into a plea bargain with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The office of the Special Prosecutor in a post on X stated, “Accra, 4 June 2025 – The High Court today convicted Thomas Andy Owusu, aide to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (popularly known as Chairman Wontumi), in a corruption case tied to illegal mining licensing.
Owusu, the second accused in the case of The Republic v. Charles Bissue & Another, was convicted on his own plea after the Court accepted a plea agreement entered under section 71 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959). The charge was based on Corruption of a Public Officer and Accepting Bribe to Influence a Public Officer”.
The OSP post added, “This case stems from the 2019 “Galamsey Fraud Part One” investigation by Tiger Eye PI, which implicated Owusu and then-presidential staffer Charles Bissue in facilitating illegal mining licences for bribes, bypassing official processes.
According to the agreement, Owusu will pay:
- A fine of 500 penalty units (equivalent to GHS 6,000), and
- Restitution of GHS 200,000 to the state.
For bribing a public officer with GHS 15,000.
Following his conviction, the court struck out two additional charges — Corruption of a Public Officer and Accepting Bribe to Influence a Public Officer.
Owusu’s conviction narrows the case to focus solely on the first accused, Charles Bissue, accused of Using Public Office for Profit, contrary to section 179C(b) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). His trial will continue on 10 June 2025 with a scheduled Case Management Conference”.
See the post below:
Aide to Wontumi Convicted in Galamsey Bribery Case
………………………….Accra, 4 June 2025 – The High Court today convicted Thomas Andy Owusu, aide to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (popularly known as Chairman Wontumi), in a corruption case tied… pic.twitter.com/I29qwkEUpe
— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) June 4, 2025
