Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office has granted dancehall artiste Charles Nii Armah Mensah, also known as Shatta Wale, bail in the amount of GH¢10 million with two sureties to be justified.
According to Graphic Online, the singer remains in custody until the sureties provide properties that can be verified to match the bail conditions.
Shatta Wale was invited to the agency’s office on Wednesday to help with investigations into the purchase of a Lamborghini Urus, which has been linked to the proceeds of a $4 million crime involving Nana Kwabena Amuah, a Ghanaian presently serving a prison sentence in the United States.
The statement read, “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.”
The agency also noted that the artist was unable to present any receipts or transfer documentation to prove ownership, with the exception of a customs declaration form containing Amuah’s name.
Earlier in June, EOCO conducted a search of Shatta Wale’s Trassaco Valley residence in Accra in collaboration with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Justice Department.
EOCO’s Surveillance and Asset Recovery Unit seized a 2019 Lamborghini Urus believed to be linked to Amuah’s criminal proceeds.
Amuah is currently serving an 86-month jail term in the US. The seizure was requested by US authorities in 2023 under a mutual legal assistance framework.
EOCO stated that, while the officers were armed, the exercise remained calm.
Shatta Wale was permitted to surrender the luxury car himself after arguing that public confiscation would tarnish his reputation because the vehicle was crucial to his business.
US investigators are pressing for the return of the seized automobile as part of Amuah’s almost $4.7 million restitution.
EOCO further stated that Shatta Wale and a former senior officer of Ghana’s National Signal Bureau are considered persons of interest and may face additional questioning as the investigation unfolds.
