Ogun State Government Affirms Seizure Of Presidential Jet, Accuses Chinese Company Of Fraud

Ogun State Government Affirms Seizure Of Presidential Jet, Accuses Chinese Company Of Fraud

The Ogun State government has criticized the judicial actions that led to the provisional seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets by the Judicial Court of Paris. The court issued orders for the jets’ seizure on March 7 and August 2, 2024, in connection with a legal dispute involving the Chinese company Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd….. CONTINUE READING 

The jets—namely a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737, and a newly purchased Airbus A330—were under maintenance at airports in France and Switzerland when the seizure orders were made. The Dassault Falcon 7X was at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, while the Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 were at Basel-Mulhouse Airport in Switzerland.

The dispute originated from a canceled contract between Zhongshan and the Ogun State government dating back to 2007. The Chinese company sought court orders related to this dispute, leading to the attachment of Nigerian assets abroad.

In a statement released on Thursday, Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, condemned Zhongshan’s legal actions. The Ogun State government accused the company of attempting to unlawfully appropriate Nigerian assets in foreign jurisdictions and of concealing the litigation from both the Nigerian government and Ogun State authorities, as well as their legal representatives.

The government argued that this concealment allowed Zhongshan to quickly obtain seizure orders without fully disclosing the nature of the assets to the court. Ogun State and the Federal Government are reportedly taking steps to lift the provisional attachments on the jets.

The statement compared the situation to the notorious P&ID case, alleging that Zhongshan is another example of unscrupulous individuals pretending to be legitimate investors to defraud Nigerian entities.

The statement reads, “On August 14, 2024, the Ogun State Government learned of the provisional attachment of three Nigerian government-owned aircraft in France by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd. (Zhongshan). The orders were issued on March 7, 2024, and August 12, 2024, without proper notice to the Federal Government, Ogun State, or their legal counsel.

“This is part of Zhongshan’s series of misguided attempts to seize Nigerian assets abroad, none of which have led to successful recovery of funds. Each aircraft serves solely sovereign purposes and is thus immune from attachment under international and French laws. Zhongshan’s actions involved deliberate withholding of information from Nigerian authorities.

“Similar to the P&ID case, this instance involves individuals masquerading as foreign investors with the intent to defraud. The original contract between Ogun State and Zhongshan, signed in 2007, was for managing a free-trade zone, with disputes beginning in 2015 and arbitration starting in 2016.

“By 2019, when the current administration took office, the arbitration was nearly concluded. The Arbitral Panel’s decision awarding over $60 million against the Federal Government, a co-defendant, was deemed unfair since Zhongshan had only built a perimeter fence around the zone. The administration, guided by expert legal advice, decided to resist enforcing this unjust award, achieving success in eight jurisdictions. Appeals against recognition orders are currently pending in the US and UK.

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