In a legal battle with a Chinese company Zhongshan, a French court has authorised the seizure of three presidential jets linked to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The three seized jets include a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus 330 located at Basel-Mulhouse airport in Switzerland.
Two of the jets were recently put up for sale, while the Airbus 330 purchased by Nigeria but not yet delivered. The Nigerian government reportedly paid over $100 million for the Airbus.
The seizure of the presidential jets is a result of an application by Zhongshan, the Chinese company whose export processing zone management contract was revoked by the Ogun State government in 2016.
Following this revocation, an independent arbitral tribunal, chaired by a former UK Supreme Court President, awarded Zhongshan $74.5 million in compensation, but the Ogun State government is yet to honour the award of the compensation leading Zhongshan to seek enforcement against Nigerian assets abroad.
The French court’s order bans the movement, sale, or purchase of the seized jets until the $74.5 million compensation is paid to Zhongshan.
Legal papers have already been served by bailiffs for each aircraft, signaling a significant escalation in the ongoing legal dispute.
This development follows the seizure of Nigerian-owned properties in Liverpool, England, ordered by a UK court in connection with the same dispute.
The Nigerian government has not made any comment regarding this latest seizure.
