Court Nullifies Receiver’s Takeover of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel, Orders Immediate Return to Kensington
High Court Overturns Takeover of Cheddar’s Oxford No.1 Hotel, Orders Immediate Return to Kensington
A fresh High Court ruling has ordered the immediate return of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel in Osu to Kensington Residential Partners 1 Limited, after declaring the Receiver’s purported possession of the property a nullity.
The ruling effectively overturns the takeover of Cheddar’s Oxford No.1 Hotel and directs the Receiver to hand back the property and its assets to Kensington.
Uchale has obtained details of the ruling in the case involving Receiver Nii Amanor Dodoo and Cola Holdings Limited against Kensington Residential Partners.
The decision is the latest turn in a legal battle over one of Accra’s most recognisable luxury hotels and comes about a month after another High Court ruling gave the Receiver police assistance to take possession of the property.
According to details of the new ruling obtained by Uchale, the court held that the purported possession of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel by Nii Amanor Dodoo was carried out in breach of the rules of court and was therefore a nullity.
The court consequently ordered the Receiver to immediately hand the hotel and its assets back to Kensington Residential Partners 1 Limited.
The Receiver has also been directed to account for all documents, money and assets that came into his possession as a result of the takeover.
That accounting is to be completed within three days and carried out under the supervision of the Registrar of the court.
The ruling effectively reverses the immediate possession of the hotel by the Receiver and restores control of the property to Kensington pending the continuing legal processes between the parties.
How the dispute reached this point
The fight over No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel has its roots in the financing and ownership structure behind the development.
International Finance Corporation records show that the Oxford Street No. 1 Aparthotel project was approved in September 2017. IFC described it as a 108-apartment hospitality development in central Accra. The proposed financing included an IFC senior loan of up to US$9 million and a further syndicated loan of up to US$9 million for a project then estimated to cost US$51.4 million. (IFC)
IFC records also described the project sponsors as a 50-50 partnership involving Wonda World Estate, part of Nana Kwame Bediako’s Kwarleyz Group, and the London-based Cola Group. (IFC)
The relationship later deteriorated into a series of court battles involving Cola Holdings Limited, businessman Azad Cola, Kensington Residential Partners and Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar.
One strand of the dispute concerns an English High Court judgment obtained by Cola Holdings against Bediako personally.
The judgment, delivered in England in January 2025, was subsequently registered in Ghana in May 2025. It requires Bediako to pay Cola Holdings US$14,928,314.70, together with interest and costs. (GhanaWebbers)
Bediako has consistently disputed personal liability.
In a statement in January 2026, he said he had never borrowed money from Cola Holdings and argued that the transaction behind the dispute arose from financing obtained by Kensington Residential Partners from the IFC. (CitiNewsroom.com)
That personal judgment case is separate from, although connected to, the battle over possession of the Oxford Street property.
Receiver was given police assistance in July
On July 21, 2026, Justice Samuel Faraday Johnson of the Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra granted Cola Holdings and its appointed Receiver, Nii Amanor Dodoo, a warrant of police assistance to take possession of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel. (CitiNewsroom.com)
Cola Holdings had told the court that attempts to obtain possession peacefully had been unsuccessful.
Kensington Residential Partners opposed the application, but the court held at the time that Cola Holdings had registered a security interest at the Collateral Registry and obtained a Memorandum of No Objection allowing it to take steps to realise that security. (Modern Ghana)
Importantly, that July ruling was limited to the application for police assistance. The court expressly did not determine all the other claims and legal issues between the parties. (Graphic Online)
Two days later, on July 23, management of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel challenged reports suggesting that the property had already been taken over.
Management said Kensington remained in possession and argued that the July 21 order was not due to take effect until seven days after it had been made. It also announced plans to appeal and seek orders restraining the Receiver from taking possession. (AmaGhanaonline.com)
Separate judgment against Bediako remains in court
The latest Oxford Street Hotel ruling should not be confused with another decision concerning the enforcement of the English judgment against Nana Kwame Bediako personally.
On July 27, Justice Doris Awuah Dabanka-Bekoe dismissed an application by Bediako seeking to restrain Cola Holdings from enforcing the US$14.9 million English judgment while an appeal was pending. The court also awarded GH¢20,000 in costs against him. (Graphic Online)
That proceeding concerns Bediako’s personal liability under the English judgment.
The new decision obtained by Uchale concerns the possession of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel by the Receiver.
What the new ruling means
The immediate practical effect of the latest ruling is clear.
The Receiver’s purported possession of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel has been declared legally ineffective.
Nii Amanor Dodoo must return the hotel and its assets to Kensington Residential Partners 1 Limited immediately.
He must also provide an account of the documents, funds and assets that came under his control during the period of possession within three days, with the process supervised by the court’s Registrar.
The ruling represents a major reversal of the position that followed the July 21 decision authorising police assistance.
It does not, however, by itself dispose of every dispute between Cola Holdings, Kensington Residential Partners, Azad Cola and Nana Kwame Bediako.
The underlying financial claims, the registered English judgment against Bediako and other pending proceedings remain distinct legal issues.
For now, however, the court’s latest order puts possession of No. 1 Oxford Street Hotel back in the hands of Kensington Residential Partners and requires the Receiver to account for what came into his possession during the takeover.
At the time of publication, Uchale had not found any other media report carrying the new ruling.
This is a developing story. More details will be added when the full written ruling and any responses from the parties become available.
