By Event Diary Lifestyle
The Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra has granted a warrant of police assistance to enable UK-based Cola Holdings Limited and its appointed Receiver to take possession of the luxury No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel in Osu, a property linked to Ghanaian businessman and former presidential candidate Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Samuel Faraday Johnson, authorises the Receiver, Nii Amanor Dodoo, to take control of the hotel after previous attempts to obtain possession of the property without resistance proved unsuccessful. The order allows police assistance to facilitate the takeover in accordance with Ghana's Borrowers and Lenders Act, 2020 (Act 1052).
The legal action forms part of an ongoing dispute involving the enforcement of a security interest over the landmark hotel located on Oxford Street in Osu, one of Accra's prime commercial districts. Court records indicate that Cola Holdings had registered its security interest over the property and obtained the necessary legal approvals to enforce that security.
Cheddar, who serves as a director of Kensington Residential Partners 1 Limited, opposed the application before the court. However, the court held that the company had not presented sufficient evidence to prevent the Receiver from taking possession of the property and consequently granted the application for police assistance.
Senior lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata, together with Tata Kosi Foliba, represented Cola Holdings Limited and the Receiver, while Cheddar's company was represented by Bobby Banson and Isaac Akerefie-Mensah.
The dispute is linked to the enforcement in Ghana of an earlier judgment delivered by the High Court of England and Wales involving a claim of approximately US$14.9 million. Earlier this year, Cheddar publicly rejected personal liability for the debt, maintaining that the obligation relates to Kensington Residential Partners 1 Limited and stating that he has appealed aspects of the enforcement proceedings in Ghana.
Importantly, the latest High Court ruling does not determine the merits of the broader legal dispute or any pending appeals. Instead, it specifically authorises police assistance to enable the Receiver to take possession of the hotel as part of the enforcement process. The substantive issues between the parties remain before the courts.
The development marks one of the most significant commercial property disputes in Ghana this year, given the prominence of the No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel and Cheddar's high public profile as an entrepreneur, real estate developer and former independent presidential candidate.
The case is expected to remain in the spotlight as further legal proceedings continue.