Claim
Several claims have been made about the 2019 Lamborghini Urus, which was the subject of the recent detention and interrogation of renowned Ghanaian artiste, Charles Nii Armah Mensah, widely known as Shatta Wale, by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
One of the claims being circulated is that the 2019 Lamborghini Urus, which was seized from Shatta Wale, was a stolen car from the United States of America (USA).
Solomon Owusu cautions Shatta Wale over ‘stolen’ Lamborghini controversy
But did Shatta Wale really buy a stolen vehicle?
Facts:
What the police have said:
The Ghana Police Service, at a recent press conference, gave details of how some luxury vehicles that are subject to criminal investigation in Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, and France, found its way into Ghana’s territory.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the police, COP Lydia Donkor, disclosed that some of the vehicles were stolen from their home countries.
“Some of the vehicles are actually stolen from the premises of the owners. The tracking systems are disabled, and they are shipped into the country,” she said.
“In some of the cases, fake credit cards or stolen credit card details are used to buy the vehicles on hire purchase. While the agreement is in force, the vehicles are shipped out of the country of origin. Once the vehicle is out and sold to an innocent buyer, the payments on the purchase are stopped. That is, when the owners realise the theft and report same to the authorities,” she added.
She also stated that some of the cars are bought and imported into Ghana to launder illicit profits acquired from criminal acts like romance fraud and sextortion.
What the FBI/EOCO have said about the car:
EOCO, in a statement issued on August 21, 2025, stated that the Lamborghini had been identified by the United States (US) Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as proceeds of a $4 million crime involving a Ghanaian, Nana Kwabena Amuah, who has been jailed in the US.
It said that the luxury vehicle was seized from Shatta after Kwabena Amuah gave it up as restitution for his crime.
“Following requests from the FBI and the US Justice Department to EOCO to track the vehicle and conduct local investigations in respect of uncovering possible co-conspirators in Ghana, EOCO began looking for the vehicle. The car was eventually traced to be in the possession of one Charles Nii Armah Mensah. It was seized in May this year.
“On August 15, 2025, a United States District Court of the Eastern District of Kentucky, Central Division of Lexington, in a criminal case of the United States of America vs Nana Kwabena Amuah, issued an order forfeiting substitute asset on the Lamborghini Urus in question. This authorised the US Government to take possession of the said vehicle in Ghana as restitution for the crime,” parts of the statement read.
‘God willing, I will receive my Lamborghini; I have documents to prove it’s mine’ – Shatta Wale
What the US Justice Department has said:
Documents from the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Kentucky, show that Nana Kwabena Amuah indeed entered an agreement with US authorities following his conviction.
A press statement from the office showed that Kwabena Amuah was ordered to pay over $4 million as restitution, as stated by EOCO.
“Nana Kwabena Amuah, 31, a native of Ghana, was sentenced to 86 months in federal prison on Wednesday by US District Judge, Karen Caldwell, for conspiring to commit money laundering. Amuah was also ordered to pay $4,743,443.60 in restitution,” part of the statement reads.
What Shatta Wale has said:
Shatta Wale argued that he could not know who the vehicle belonged to before he bought it.
According to the statement issued by EOCO, Shatta Wale, allegedly told investigators that he bought the Lamborghini “from the street” but could not identify the seller.
“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. He noted that he bought it 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 statement read.
EOCO added that the musician has no receipts or legal documents showing a transfer of ownership, apart from a customs declaration form.
The document in his possession, however, bears the name of Nana Kwabena Amuah, the convicted fraudster linked to the car.
“So far, Charles Nii Armah Mensah does not also possess any documentation in terms of receipts or transfer documents which show that he owns or purchased the said vehicle except a customs declaration document in his possession bearing the name of Nana Kwabena Amuah, who is currently in jail,” EOCO stated.
Verdict:
Given the details above, it is clear that the 2019 Lamborghini Urus was not a stolen vehicle. Therefore, claims that it was a stolen vehicle are false.
Conclusion:
Even though Shatta failed to identify ownership of the Lamborghini under investigation, he did not buy a stolen vehicle.
BAI/VPO
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