Ghana seizes Shatta Wale’s Lamborghini linked to US fraud case

Ghanaian authorities have seized a luxury Lamborghini SUV allegedly connected to a U.S. fraud case.

The car, a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, is said to be linked to convicted Ghanaian fraudster Nana Kwabena Amuah, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in the United States.

The vehicle was in the possession of Ghanaian music star Shatta Wale, whose real name is Charles Nii Armah. However, Wale insists he has no connection to Amuah and claims he is only a "third-party owner" of the car.

"I don’t know who shipped it to Ghana," he said, denying any wrongdoing.

Shatta Wale, one of Ghana’s most famous musicians and known for his collaboration with Beyoncé on the song Already, expressed frustration over how the car was taken. He criticized the authorities on social media, saying heavily armed officers came to his home without reason.

“Bringing guns to my house was uncalled for,” he wrote, accusing the head of the asset recovery agency of trying to embarrass him.

The Ghanaian artist said he bought the Lamborghini for $150,000 and provided documents to support his claim.

Authorities say the car is part of efforts to recover $4.7 million in restitution ordered by a U.S. court as part of Amuah’s fraud conviction. Amuah and his group had reportedly impersonated vendors and tricked nearly 70 organizations into transferring money to fake companies.

Ghana's Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) confirmed that the car will be returned to the United States after a formal request from the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice.

EOCO said the seizure was carried out peacefully, and explained that it’s standard for their officers to carry weapons during such operations for safety reasons.

Shatta Wale was eventually allowed to personally hand over the bright yellow Lamborghini, which is now in EOCO's custody.