The Forestry Commission has taken former presidential candidate Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar, to the High Court seeking to confiscate two tigers he allegedly imported into the country without the required permits.
The legal action, filed on January 26, 2026, by the Ecotourism Unit of the Wildlife Division, demands that the two tigers be formally forfeited to the State. According to court documents, the businessman and politician brought the animals into Ghana sometime in 2022 and kept them as pets at his residence in a residential neighbourhood.
The Commission argues that the importation breached both domestic laws and international conventions. The tigers, identified as the Panthera tigris altaica species, are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which includes over 6,000 animal species facing the highest level of protection.
"The two tigers were imported without export permits, import permits, scientific authority advice, or management authority approvals," the Commission stated in its affidavit, emphasizing that this constitutes a direct violation of Article III of the CITES Convention.
The affidavit, deposed by Christian Atsu Fumey-Nassah, Director of Stakeholders and Ecotourism, further revealed that these tigers are "unknown to the ecological zones not only of Ghana but the whole of Africa," making their presence particularly concerning from a conservation standpoint.
Despite the alleged breach, the Commission acknowledged that it has since facilitated the relocation of the tigers to a facility within the Achimota Zoo enclave since January 2024, prioritizing both "the interest of the tigers and the general public."
In court on Thursday, February 19, lawyers for the Forestry Commission informed the High Court, presided over by Justice Sedinam Awo Kwadam, that they were struggling to serve the hearing notice on Cheddar. While contact has been established, formal service remains pending.
Justice Kwadam suggested that if service cannot be effected by the next hearing date, the Commission could consider applying for substituted service. The case has been adjourned to March 5, 2026.
This legal battle adds another chapter to the public profile of Cheddar, who gained significant attention during his 2024 presidential campaign as the face of The New Force movement.
