In a significant legal development, the Human Rights Court, presided over by Justice Nicholas Mensah Abodakpi, has ruled in favour of Charles Bissue, the former secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining.
The court has declared that Mr Bissue's judicial review application must be heard on its merit.
Mr. Bissue had brought the application, alleging that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) possessed an arrest warrant from the Kaneshie District Court for his apprehension. He sought an order from the court to quash this warrant and prevent OSP from declaring him a wanted man.
In response to Mr. Bissue's application, state prosecutors had moved to dismiss it, arguing that it lacked merit and did not present a viable course of action. They further contended that Mr. Bissue failed to provide the alleged arrest warrant as evidence and that OSP had the authority to declare individuals they couldn't locate as wanted.
However, the Human Rights Court, during the hearing on Thursday, disagreed with the state prosecutors. It ruled that human rights actions should be heard on their merits and should not be dismissed. As a result, the court has directed OSP to file an official response to Mr. Bissue's motion.
Charles Bissue has dropped several lawsuits he had filed against OSP, except for two cases. The second case also pending before the Human Rights Court seeks to prevent OSP from investigating and prosecuting him unless investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas is also prosecuted. Anas allegedly offered the bribe that is currently under investigation.
In June 2023, the same court placed an injunction on OSP from arresting Mr Bissue after he was declared wanted for 10 days. The court was to deliver its reasons for injuncting OSP from carrying out its statutory duty within seven days.