Dancehall heavyweight Beenie Man is distancing himself from reports he was arrested for coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine breaches after performing at the fifth BHIM Concert held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) Grand Arena in the Ghanaian capital last Tuesday (December 21). 

The deejay, in a series of tweets on Monday evening, slammed the reports as nothing but a ‘fabricated’, misleading narrative. 

The artiste, born Moses Davis, was seemingly in disbelief as he shared with concerned fans that he is yet to contract COVID-19. 

“Mi confuse yf. #Update to my fans who are genuinely reaching out. I have no Covid, never caught covid before, tested NEGATIVE for Covid. Been travelling for the past 6 months Covid free. Fully vaccinated. I guess someone wants me to have Covid. Uno weird yf,” Beenie Man tweeted.

While not addressing the allegations in their entirety, the 48-year-old Jamaican sang praises of the hospitality he received in Ghana, from both locals and officials alike. The self-proclaimed ‘King of the Dancehall’ also showered laurels on Stonebwoy and the organisers of the BHIM Concert. 

“Ghana was amazing. Love & light to @stonebwoy and the #BhimTeam. The Ghanaian Government, Immigration, Health Team, Small Gad, Freedom, the whole team. #Ghana ah the best place inna the world . #BhimConcert21 looking fwd to 2022,” he continued.

See tweets below:

Before logging off, Beenie Man used the opportunity to shore up anticipation for his Simma album, which he assured was “dropping soon”.

According to a December 27 report from local outlet Citi Newsroom, however, the Gyal Dem Sugar entertainer was at the centre of a multi-agency probe. 

CitiNews, in its article, alleged that Beenie Man was arrested for breaching a mandated COVID-19 quarantine and that the Jamaican tested positive for the virus on his arrival at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport (KIA). 

The report goes further to claim Beenie Man presented falsified health certification records, which led to his arrest on returning to KIA to receive his passport as he attempted to leave the West African country.

A second article, citing Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, who serves as director of public health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), later clarified that the deejay was again tested for COVID-19 and his results returned negative. 

“I think it is more of a security issue from our point of view. When he arrived in Ghana, we tested him and it was positive so we sent him into isolation. I think that at a point in time, he disappeared but he came back from the Immigration (Service) after going for his passport and he was tested again and it was negative. But I do not know if that was the time he went for the concert. I am talking about the Ghana Health Service part so we didn’t arrest him because the Ghana Health Service doesn’t arrest [people],” Dr Asiedu-Bekoe explained.

The controversy comes weeks after the Ministry of Health in Ghana advised of new directives amid the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic and the Omicron variant. 

As of midnight, December 12, all persons entering the country must present a negative PCR test no earlier than 72 hours prior to travel, provide evidence of full vaccination, fill out a health declaration form, and undergo an antigen on arrival in Ghana.

Beenie Man, as one of the headlining acts of BHIM 2021, performed alongside popular Ghanaians Stonebwoy, Samini, Kwaw Kese, MzVee and Empress Gifty. 

Earlier this year, images of an arrested Beenie Man spread on social media, after he was charged by officers at the Black River Police Station with breaches of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) arising from an illegal November 29 party.

The event, which the deejay was personally promoting on his Instagram page, reportedly took place in Shrewsbury District located in the southeastern side of the breadbasket parish.

Beenie Man was slapped with two charges: breach of the Noise Abatement Act and breach of the DRMA, with his first court date set for mid-February 2021 in the St Elizabeth Parish Court. 

Months later, in April, the Heart Attack deejay pleaded guilty to breaching the DRMA and was in May sentenced to pay a J$150,000 fine or spend 35 days in prison. 

Davis pleaded not guilty to breaching the Noise Abatement Act, which the court reportedly dismissed.