The Human Rights Court presided over by Justice Nicholas Mensah Abodakpi has ruled that a judicial review application brought by former secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue must be heard on its merit.
Mr. Bissue has alleged that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has in its possession an arrest warrant from the Kaneshie District Court for his apprehension and is seeking an order from the Court to quash it.
He is also seeking an order from the Court to order OSP from declaring him a wanted man.
In response to this, state prosecutors presented a motion to have Mr. Bissue’s action dismissed on the basis that it lacked merit and did not present a viable course of action.
They argued that Mr Bissue had failed to provide the alleged arrest warrant as evidence and that the OSP possessed the authority to declare any individual they couldn’t locate as wanted.
During the hearing on Thursday, October 26, the court disagreed with the state prosecutor. It ruled that human rights actions must be heard on their merits rather than dismissed.
The court has directed OSP to file an official response to Mr. Bissue’s motion.
Charles Bissue has dropped several lawsuits it filed against OSP seeking to stop it from investigating and prosecuting him except two- Thursday’s case and one other.
In the other case, Mr. Bissue is seeking an order from the Human Rights Court to prevent the OSP from investigating and prosecuting him, unless investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas is also prosecuted since he allegedly offered the bribe that is under investigation.
In June 2023, the same Court placed an injunction on the OSP from arresting Mr Bissue after he was declared wanted for 10 days.
The Court was to deliver reasons for injuncting the OSP from carrying out its statutory duty in 7 days.