The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has announced that his office, in collaboration with the National Security Adviser, has initiated legal and diplomatic efforts to recover three Nigerian presidential aircraft that were seized in France.
This action follows a fine awarded against Ogun State.
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The announcement was made in a statement by Kamarudeen Ogundele, Special Adviser to the President on Communication and Publicity, released on Thursday in Abuja.
“The Offices of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney-General of the Federation, have already set in motion both legal and diplomatic steps to ensure the discharge of the inappropriate orders against the aircraft, which are covered by sovereign immunity.
“While further actions are being put in place to resolve the entire dispute through available legal means, the firm position of the Federal Government remains that the aircraft in question are sovereign assets used solely for sovereign purposes and are therefore immune from attachment as Zhongshan has sought to do,” the statement read in part.”
A French court recently authorized the seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets due to a financial dispute involving Ogun State. Among the seized jets are a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus A330 at Basel-Mulhouse Airport in Switzerland, all of which are currently undergoing maintenance.
The Airbus A330, which Nigeria purchased but has not yet received, was part of a recent sale of the country’s presidential air fleet. Nigeria reportedly paid over $100 million for this aircraft.
The seizure followed a legal action by Zhongshan, a Chinese company, after Ogun State revoked its export processing zone management contract in 2016. Zhongshan took the state government to court, leading to an arbitral tribunal chaired by a former UK Supreme Court President awarding the company approximately $74.5 million in damages. Ogun State has yet to honor this award.
The court’s order prohibits Nigeria from moving or selling the jets until the $74.5 million compensation is paid to Zhongshan.
