Chinese Company Releases One of the Three Seized Nigeria Presidential Aircraft
A Chinese firm, Zhongshan, recently released one of the three Nigerian presidential jets it had seized following a legal dispute. The company had previously obtained a court order allowing it to confiscate the jets until Nigeria paid the $74.5 million awarded to Zhongshan in a legal judgment.
A spokesperson for the company informed the press on Friday that the release of the aircraft was due to its necessity for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s upcoming meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The spokesperson, speaking to FIRST CLASS GISTS, stated: “Zhongshan has consistently aimed to be fair and reasonable throughout this legal matter, which was not of our making. We have been informed that the Airbus A330 currently detained in France, due to a court order obtained by Zhongshan, is required by the Nigerian President for a scheduled meeting with President Macron early next week.
“As a gesture of goodwill, Zhongshan has decided to lift the seizure of the aircraft immediately, allowing it to be used for the President’s trip. Zhongshan remains committed to engaging in serious and substantive negotiations with the Nigerian government to reach a swift and reasonable settlement.”
Previously, News360 Nigeria reported that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that the Nigerian federal government, in cooperation with the Ogun State government, is actively working to overturn what they describe as a “frivolous” court order that allowed Zhongshan to seize Nigeria’s presidential jets.
Onanuga stated: “The Presidency is aware of the repeated attempts by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese firm, to take control of offshore assets belonging to the Nigerian government through deceptive means.
“The Federal Government has no contractual obligation to Zhongshan. The dispute that Zhongshan is attempting to exploit to seize our offshore assets is between the company and the Ogun State Government.
“The federal government is fully informed of the efforts being made by the Ogun State Government to resolve the issue amicably.
“It is important to note that Zhongshan has no legitimate grounds to demand compensation from the Ogun State Government based on the facts surrounding the 2007 contract between the company and the State Government for the management of a free trade zone. By the time the contract was revoked in 2015, the only work done by the company was the construction of a perimeter fence.
“While the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Ogun State Government are collaborating on an amicable resolution, Zhongshan obtained two orders from the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7, 2024, and August 12, 2024, without proper notice being served to the Nigerian and Ogun State governments.
“This coercive tactic by the Chinese company is just the latest in a series of failed attempts to seize Nigerian government assets abroad.
“The details of the transaction between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan bear a striking resemblance to the P&ID case, where dubious individuals falsely presented themselves as investors with the sole intention of defrauding African governments.
“Clearly, Zhongshan withheld crucial information and misled the Judicial Court in Paris, resulting in the unjust attachment of Nigerian government assets, including presidential jets currently undergoing routine maintenance in France. As assets of a sovereign state, these jets are protected by diplomatic immunity, making them exempt from such foreign court orders.
“We believe that the Chinese company provided inaccurate information to the Judicial Court of Paris regarding the nature and use of the assets it sought to attach and failed to fully disclose the necessary details as required by law.
“This is the same company that attempted to enforce a questionable judgment in the UK and USA but was unsuccessful.
“Like in the P&ID case, foreign entities are once again attempting to defraud Nigeria with the assistance of certain bureaucrats. It appears that Zhongshan has sold the judgment it obtained to a venture capitalist, who aims to profit by embarrassing the Nigerian government and President Bola Tinubu.
“We want to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government is working closely with the Ogun State Government to have this baseless order in Paris dismissed immediately.
“The Nigerian Government will continue to defend our national assets against predatory individuals and co
mpanies masquerading as investors.”
