PeakNews Online
A French court has seized three aircraft linked to the Nigerian government, including a newly acquired Airbus A330 valued at over $100 million, following a prolonged legal battle involving a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd.
The legal action stems from a dispute with a sub-national Nigerian entity, according to a report by Premium Times.
The seized aircraft—a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737, and the Airbus A330—were either part of the Nigerian presidential fleet or had been recently purchased by the government. The Dassault Falcon 7X was reportedly undergoing maintenance at Paris-Le Bourget airport, while the Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 were stationed at Basel-Mulhouse International Airport for similar purposes.
The legal conflict dates back to 2016 when the Ogun State government revoked Zhongshan’s export processing zone management contract. An arbitral tribunal, chaired by a former President of the UK Supreme Court, later ruled in favor of Zhongshan, awarding the company €74,459,221 in compensation. However, the Nigerian government has yet to honor this award, prompting Zhongshan to seek enforcement through the French judicial system.
The enforcement judge at the Paris Judicial Court authorized the seizure of the aircraft to secure Zhongshan’s claim from the 2021 arbitration award. The court order stated, “This protective seizure will take place to secure and preserve the claim arising from the arbitration award dated 26 March 2021, made by an ad hoc arbitral tribunal.” The court further instructed that the aircraft be positioned in such a way as to prevent their movement, stating, “The aircraft… will be positioned so that the cockpit faces a wall or building or in any other way that prevents it from taking off again autonomously.”
Efforts by PeakNews Online to get a response from the Nigerian Presidency were redirected to the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo. However, Keyamo’s media aide, Tunde Moshood, neither confirmed nor denied the report, instead suggesting that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, was better suited to address the issue. As of press time, attempts to reach Fagbemi were unsuccessful, though a spokesperson requested more time to gather information.
In a related development, Premium Times reported that Zhongshan has taken similar legal actions in the United Kingdom, where buildings owned by the Nigerian government in Liverpool have been seized under court orders related to the same unresolved dispute.
This latest incident adds to ongoing concerns over Nigeria’s international legal battles and the potential repercussions for the country’s assets abroad.
