Charterhouse, organizers of the annual Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) have indefinitely banned dancehall artistes Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale in the awards scheme.
Announcing the decision at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, the Chairman of the VGMA board, Amandzeba Nat Brew said the awards won by the two artistes at the 20th edition of the scheme have been nullified.
He said they are expected to return the plaques they received on that day to Charterhouse.
The decision comes on the back of an altercation that occurred between the two on Sunday dawn during the awards show.
The incident, in which Stonebwoy pulled out a gun on stage marred the event and attracting bad publicity in both local and international media.
The two are currently facing legal action after Charterhouse filed a police report over the incident.
What happened on the night?
After Stonebwoy walked to the stage to receive his award for being named Reggae/Dancehall artiste of the year, Shatta Wale and his team of more than five persons began walking towards the stage too.
This triggered Stonebwoy’s manager to confront the team, a situation that resulted in fisticuffs with one of the Shatta Wale team members.
The situation escalated into a free-for-all brawl, making it difficult for security officials to control them.
Stonebwoy who also pulled out a gun in the process, apologized for the incident when he returned to the stage to receive another award.
Both musicians have issued statements apologizing for the incident.
Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy were arrested by the police on Sunday and put before court on Wednesday after spending a night in police cells.
They were charged with offensive conduct to breach of the peace.
Stonebwoy was additionally charged with the display of a weapon in a public place without permission.
The two pleaded not guilty when they appeared in court on Wednesday and were granted bail of ¢50,000 each with one surety and cautioned to be of good behaviour until the determination of the case.
