The Criminal Court is set to consider a plea agreement tomorrow between the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and Thomas Andy Owusu, the second accused in the case of Republic v. Charles Bissue and Another.
In a related, the Supreme Court has delivered a ruling in the ongoing civil legal dispute between Charles Bissue and the OSP.
In 2023, Bissue filed a case at the Human Rights Court, claiming that the OSP had unlawfully obtained an arrest warrant for his apprehension. The OSP denied this, stating that it did not require a warrant to arrest Bissue. The Kaneshie District Court, which Bissue alleged had issued the warrant, confirmed it had not granted any such order. The Attorney-General, representing the District Court, also testified that no warrant existed.
Bissue was unable to produce the alleged warrant and instead relied on an interview granted by the Special Prosecutor on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme. His legal team argued that the remarks in the interview led them to believe a warrant had been issued.
The Human Rights Court, after confirming the non-existence of a warrant, dismissed the case and ruled that there was no need to play the interview or allow the cross-examination of Bissue’s lawyer.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Bissue petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling. Today, the Supreme Court ordered that the Newsfile interview be played in court to allow the contents to be properly assessed. The decision means the matter returns to the Human Rights Court, where the OSP will also be allowed to cross-examine Bissue’s lawyer on the alleged existence of the warrant.
