This incident occurred not long after Chef Smith held a press conference announcing that he is the latest Guinness World Record holder for the longest cooking marathon.
At the press conference held at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra on Tuesday, 2 July, Chef Smith proudly announced, "Today is the day that I will forever remember. I am incredibly humbled and honoured to stand before you today as the Guinness World Record holder.” The event, which took place at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, saw Chef Smith claim to have cooked continuously for an astounding 820 hours from 1 February to 6 March 2024.
In a social media post, Chef Smith had earlier expressed his excitement, stating, "It is with great pleasure and honour that we inform the general public and the media about the press conference of Millennium Chef Smith. He will be announcing his results from the Guinness World Records for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. The event will take place at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel on Tuesday, 2nd July 2024, at 2:00 PM. Thank you for your cooperation."
However, shortly after the celebration, news about his arrest over alleged fraud broke. His arrest and detention are reported by Asaaseradio.com to be in connection with an alleged "defrauding one of the sponsors, Amadia Shopping Mall, of his cooking marathon of about GHC350,000."
Chef Smith’s cook-a-thon, which culminated in a star-studded event featuring performers such as Praye Tietia, Yaw Tog, Amerado, Kofi Jamar, and the Asakaa Boys, aimed to break the existing record with a marathon of 802 hours and 25 minutes.
Fans of Chef Smith await further details regarding the allegations of fraud as investigations continue.