Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office has granted popular dancehall musician Charles Nii Armah Mensah, widely known as Shatta Wale, bail set at GH¢10 million with two sureties to be justified.
In a statement released on Thursday, and cited by Graphic Online, EOCO confirmed that the artiste would remain in custody until the sureties present verifiable properties that meet the bail requirements.
Shatta Wale had been invited to the agency’s offices on Wednesday to assist investigations into his purchase of a Lamborghini Urus, which authorities suspect is linked to proceeds from a $4 million fraud involving Nana Kwabena Amuah, a Ghanaian currently serving a prison term in the United States.
After nearly four hours of interrogation, the singer reportedly failed to provide clear details about the seller of the luxury vehicle. According to the statement, “So far, Charles Nii Armah Mensah has been unable to identify the person from whom he purchased the said Lamborghini Urus vehicle except to say that he purchased it from the ‘Street’ and from someone possibly called ‘ZAK’ who may have contacted him on WhatsApp but whose identity he does not know and whose contact he has thrown away.”
EOCO further revealed that the artiste could not provide receipts or any transfer documents to support his claim of ownership, except for a Customs declaration form that bore Amuah’s name.
Back in June, EOCO, working in collaboration with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Justice Department, searched Shatta Wale’s residence at Trassaco Valley in Accra.
That operation, spearheaded by EOCO’s Surveillance and Asset Recovery Unit, resulted in the confiscation of a 2019 Lamborghini Urus suspected to be tied to Amuah’s illicit funds. Amuah is serving an 86-month jail sentence in the U.S.
The seizure, EOCO explained, followed a request by U.S. authorities in 2023 under a mutual legal assistance arrangement. Although the team of officers was armed, officials stressed that the exercise was carried out peacefully.
Shatta Wale was given the option to hand over the car himself after pleading that a public seizure would tarnish his reputation, as the luxury vehicle formed a core part of his brand image.
American investigators are pressing for the return of the Lamborghini to the U.S. as part of Amuah’s $4.7 million restitution.
EOCO also disclosed that Shatta Wale and a former senior officer of the National Signal Bureau are under investigation as persons of interest and may face further interrogation as the case develops.
