Shatta Wale
By Richard Tega Enyeh
Ghanaian dancehall artiste, Charles Armah, popularly known as Shatta Wale is literally swimming in troubled waters as the Ghanaian Economic and Organised Crime Office, in collaboration with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Justice Department, disclosed that it has seized a luxury vehicle, a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, from the singer.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday by the acting Executive Director of the agency, Raymond Archer, and shared on X by Ghanaian TV station, Joy News, EOCO disclosed that the operation followed a request from the FBI and the US Justice Department in 2023, which culminated in a lawful search of the rapper’s apartment at Trassaco Valley Phase 1 in Accra, Ghana.
The search was carried out by EOCO’s Surveillance and Asset Recovery Unit, leading to the discovery and seizure of a 2019 Lamborghini Urus. According to the statement, US authorities have linked the vehicle to criminal proceeds of one Nana Kwabena Amuah, currently serving an 86-month sentence for financial crimes in the United States.
“In June this year, the Economic and Organised Crime Office, acting on a 2023 request from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the United States Justice Department, undertook an operation which led to a lawful search in a home at Trassaco Valley Phase 1, in Accra.
“The operation which was undertaken by the Surveillance And Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) of EOCO led to the discovery and seizure of a 2019 Lamborghini Urus which the the FBI and the Justice Department have tied to the proceeds of the criminal enterprise of one Nana Kwabena Amuah who is currently serving an 86 month sentence for several financial crimes in the US”, the statement partly read.
According to the statement, the vehicle was reportedly found in the possession of Shatta Wale, who was allowed to voluntarily surrender the car to EOCO operatives.
“The car was seized from one Charles Nii Armah, aka Shatta Wale. The officers were professional and civil, and the search and seizure occurred without incident. Nii Armah had pleaded with officers that he did not want the seizure to be made public because the vehicle was a big part of his brand, and that if his supporters saw the vehicle being driven away in the company of EOCO, it would destroy his brand. Nii Armah was allowed to surrender the vehicle himself, which is currently in the possession of EOCO”, the statement explained.
The agency also explained that SARU officers were armed during the operation, describing it as standard safety protocol. “It is a standard safety protocol practice for officers of the Surveillance and Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) to carry weapons whilst on operation for the safety of officers”, the statement added.
EOCO explained that further steps are being taken by US authorities to repatriate the seized car as part of the restitution owed by Amuah.
The anti-graft agency also revealed that Shatta Wale and a former senior officer of the National Signal Bureau (NSB) are being investigated in connection with the case.
It said, “The FBI and the Justice Department intend to send a formal Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to the Government of Ghana to return the car to the United States as part of Nana Kwabena Amuah’s $4,743,443 restitution. Charles Nii Armah, aka Shatta Wale and a former senior officer of the National Signal Bureau (NSB), have been assessed as persons of interest and will be invited by EOCO to assist in further ongoing investigations in the coming days.”
The agency also confirmed that a final report may be submitted to the FBI and the US Justice Department as part of their collaborative efforts. “EOCO may share the final investigations report to the FBI and the Justice Department as part of our ongoing cooperation”, the statement concluded.
