An Accra High Court has dismissed a case filed by Cruise People Ltd against Ghanaian musician, Black Sherif.

The company had accused the musician of failing to honor an agreement leading to the cancellation of a concert dubbed ‘Afro Cruise Jam’ for which he had been billed to perform on August 2023 in Athens, Greece.

The Cruise People argued that this cancellation had caused them to incur costs, which they sought to be awarded against Black Sherif.

Lawyers for Black Sherif argued that the court had no jurisdiction to determine the case because the contract for his performance stipulates that any legal proceedings shall take place in the United Kingdom.

Representatives of the Cruise People Limited fought off this claim insisting the court had jurisdiction to handle the case because both parties are Ghanaians and ply their trades in Ghana.

• Read also: Black Sherif: He anticipated a hero’s welcome but became a villain he, perhaps, never was

The court, presided over by Judge Mariama Sammo, agreed with the lawyers for the Konongo-born musician.

In her decision on Thursday, November 16, the judge indicated that none of the addresses given by the party performing the contract was located in Ghana.

This left the court with no option but to dismiss the case against the award-winning music star.

Where it started

The complainant requested to book Black Sherif for the cruise ship performance, a move which was duly heeded by the singer’s agents who happen to be a leading international company representing artistes, athletes, and brands across the globe.

Sources say an initial deposit of $20,000 out of a $40,000 booking fee was made by the complainant to the musician’s agency.

However, the contract did not include a requirement for promotional videos for a press launch ahead of the yet-to-be-held event.

But in an interesting twist, the businessman and organiser of the cruise pressed the agents demanding promotional videos from Black Sherif with threats to cancel the contract, if the videos are not submitted which was a breach of the contract.

Amidst these threats of canceling the contract and lawsuits, the singer's agents chose to refund the initial deposit in good faith, as the contract reportedly had no clause mandating such promotional videos.

However, the source said the complainant insisted on being reimbursed $50,000 instead of the initial $20,000 fee he parted with, a move which Black Sherif’s agents found unfair and inconsistent.

This led to further threats from the businessman and his subsequent decision to report the case to the police, alleging breach of contract and fraud.