A French court has seized three aircraft associated with the Nigerian government following a legal battle with Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd, a Chinese company, according to a report by Premium Times.
The seized aircraft include a newly acquired Airbus A330 valued at over $100 million, a Dassault Falcon 7X, and a Boeing 737. These planes were either part of the Nigerian presidential fleet or recently purchased by the government.
The Dassault Falcon 7X was undergoing maintenance at Paris-Le Bourget Airport, while the Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 were stationed at Basel-Mulhouse International Airport for similar reasons.
The seizure stems from an ongoing legal dispute between the Ogun State government and Zhongshan, whose export processing zone management contract was revoked in 2016.
Despite an arbitral tribunal chaired by a former UK Supreme Court President ruling in favor of Zhongshan and awarding €74,459,221 in compensation, the Nigerian government has yet to honor the decision.
As a result, Zhongshan sought enforcement of the arbitral award through the French legal system. The enforcement judge at the Paris Judicial Court authorized the company to seize the aircraft, stating in the court order, “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, ensuring that they cannot take off independently. Court stated, “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.”
Zhongshan has also reportedly taken similar actions in the United Kingdom, where buildings owned by the Nigerian government in Liverpool were seized under a UK court’s orders in relation to the same unresolved dispute.
Efforts by Arise News to obtain a response from the Nigerian government have been met with limited success.
Presidential aides directed inquiries to the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi. However, both officials have yet to provide a definitive statement on the matter.
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