Ghanaian businessman and New Force founder Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar, has launched a fresh legal challenge in London seeking to overturn a staggering $14.9 million judgment, claiming that a key document used against him carries a signature he did not authorize.

The dispute centers on a deed of indemnity allegedly signed in January 2018. Bediako is challenging the authenticity of the document, maintaining that he was in Nigeria on the date it was reportedly executed in Accra. He has suggested that an electronic copy of his signature may have been used without his knowledge or consent.

The multimillion-dollar legal battle is connected to Kensington Residential Partners 1 Ltd, the company behind the No. 1 Oxford Street serviced apartment development in Osu, Accra. Bediako and businessman Azad Cola are reported to be equal shareholders in the company.

The project received financing through an approximately $18 million loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Cola Holdings says it guaranteed the financing and later settled the outstanding obligation when the IFC demanded repayment. The company subsequently moved to recover what it says was Bediako’s share of the liability under the disputed indemnity agreement.

On January 23, 2025, the High Court of England and Wales ordered Bediako to pay $14,928,314.70, together with interest calculated at 8% annually. The judgment was later registered in Ghana, opening the door for enforcement proceedings locally.

Bediako is now asking the London court to revisit the judgment, with the authenticity of his alleged signature emerging as a major issue in the case.

Cola Holdings and the Cola family have strongly rejected allegations of fraud and have indicated they will defend their position in court.

The latest challenge adds another dramatic chapter to a legal battle involving millions of dollars, prime Accra real estate and competing claims over who is ultimately responsible for the debt.