Court orders seizure of Oxford Street hotel
Ghana’s High Court allowed a UK-based company to take control of a prominent Accra hotel owned by businessman Nana Kwame Bediako, known as Cheddar, following a dispute over an unpaid debt.
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The Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra issued a warrant on July 21, permitting Cola Holdings Limited and its receiver, Nii Amanor Dodoo, to seize the No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel in Osu. The company requested assistance after failing to gain peaceful access to the property.
Justice Samuel Faraday Johnson sided with Cola Holdings, confirming the firm had registered its security interest at Ghana’s Collateral Registry. The court also recognized the company’s right to enforce its security under the Borrowers and Lenders Act, 2020 (Act 1052).
Kensington Residential Partners 1 Limited, linked to Bediako, opposed the move through its director. The objections were dismissed for lacking sufficient evidence. The ruling focused only on the receiver’s authority to take possession, not broader legal disputes between the parties.
Dispute tied to earlier UK court judgment
The conflict originated from a ruling by the High Court of England and Wales, which Cola Holdings later sought to enforce in Ghana. Bediako, who ran as an independent candidate in Ghana’s 2024 presidential election, denied owing the debt. In January, he said his legal team was contesting its enforcement in local courts.
He argued the debt belonged to Kensington Residential Partners 1 Limited, incurred through a facility from the International Finance Corporation. Bediako also claimed to have appealed a prior High Court decision on registering the foreign judgment, pledging to exhaust all legal avenues.
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The hotel, a distinctive white building near Dankwa Circle in Osu, became the center of the dispute. Court records show Cola Holdings appointed Dodoo as receiver after moving to enforce its security interest. Legal teams included Tsatsu Tsikata and Tata Kosi Foliba for Cola Holdings, while Bobby Banson and Isaac Akerefie-Mensah represented Kensington Residential Partners.
Enforcing foreign judgments in Ghana often involves complex legal considerations, especially when high-profile individuals and valuable assets are involved. Courts typically assess the validity of foreign rulings against local property laws. This case may influence how similar disputes are resolved, particularly when security interests are registered under Ghana’s borrowing regulations.
The decision does not settle the underlying debt or pending appeals. It only permits the receiver to manage the property, which could affect future legal steps. For now, the hotel remains central to the financial and legal conflict.
Bediako’s situation reflects broader challenges in multi-channel business operations, where disputes over assets can escalate across jurisdictions.
Cola Holdings’ actions follow a pattern seen in other debt recovery cases, where lenders secure court orders to protect their interests. The process ensures compliance with local laws while pursuing international claims.
