The presidential staffer captured in the latest undercover investigation by Anas Aremeyaw collecting money and offering favours to illegal small scale miners has stepped aside.
Charles Bissue insists he is innocent of the allegations of bribery leveled against him in the sting operation by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
In a statement, Mr Bissue said his decision to step aside from office, is to allow for “transparency and accountability” by the Inter ministerial committee on illegal mining and also avoid any situation that will compromise the work of the committee.
The presidential staffer and Secretary to the Inter Ministerial Committee on illegal mining was captured in the video collecting monies believed to be bribe and also to breach the new mining roadmap set out by the committee .
In just 14 days, Anas and his men posing as galamsey miners paid their way through and got concessions to mine illegally at a time when a ban had been imposed on all forms of small scale mining activities, particularly the illegal mining.
The video also captured security personnel at the flagstaff house, the seat of government, national security operatives with the Inter-ministerial taskforce, front-desk executives all receiving their share of the galamsey booty to allow Anas and his men concessions to engage in illegal mining.
Some of the officials willingly gave out concessions to the miners while, the security offered to provide protection during the illegal activity.
The content of the video titled Galamsey Fraud Part 1, has been a subject of controversy with mixed political reactions.
Read More: Galamsey Bribe: How Akufo-Addo’s men sold Ghana’s interest for money
Government has demanded for the unedited version of the video in order to take action against persons captured in there.
In the midst of the controversy, Charles Bissue the key suspect in part one of the galamsey fraud has decided to step aside.
“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 acts of corruption, criminality or misconduct.
“However, in the interest of transparency and accountability, and so as not to compromise the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), I have informed the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Chairperson of the IMCIM, of my decision to step aside from my position as Secretary to the Committee, pending an investigation into the allegations,” he said in the statement.
