Ghanaian dancehall icon Shatta Wale has been detained in Accra as part of a United States investigation into a $4 million fraud case.
According to a statement issued on Thursday, August 21 by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the artist, born Charles Nii Armah Mensah, was interrogated on Wednesday regarding a 2019 Lamborghini Urus allegedly purchased with proceeds from the fraud.
The luxury vehicle, already seized earlier this year, is subject to a US court order authorising its transfer to American authorities as compensation. The case is tied to Ghanaian national Nana Kwabena Amuah, currently serving a sentence in the United States.
The interrogation, which lasted several hours, centred on Shatta Wale’s inability to produce official purchase documents. He reportedly told investigators he bought the vehicle for $150,000 “from the street” through an unidentified WhatsApp contact named “Zak.”
EOCO said the operation followed requests from the FBI and the US Department of Justice. Shatta Wale was granted bail at 10 million cedis (about $900,000), pending verification of his guarantors. Outside EOCO’s offices, hundreds of fans rallied in solidarity, chanting and vowing to stay until his release, while his legal team maintained that he purchased the car in good faith with no knowledge of criminal ties.