By The Ogun State Government has confirmed that a French court has recently ordered the seizure of three Nigerian government presidential aircraft. The aircraft were grounded following a contract dispute between the Ogun State Government and Zhongshan, a Chinese company that had previously entered into an agreement with the state government.
The dispute stems from a contract that was initially formed between the two parties but later hit a deadlock. The Ogun State Government eventually revoked the contract in 2016.
Following the revocation, Zhongshan took both the Ogun State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria to court, seeking compensation for what it claimed was an unfair termination of the agreement.
As a result of the legal proceedings, a French court took the extraordinary step of grounding three Nigerian presidential jets that were within its jurisdiction, in compliance with the lawsuit brought forward by the Chinese firm.
Earlier, an independent arbitral tribunal had awarded Zhongshan a compensation amount of approximately $74.5 million. However, the Ogun State Government has contested this award, claiming that the compensation amount is unfair and has not yet been honored.
The government’s refusal to comply with the tribunal’s decision has led to heightened legal tensions and resulted in the French court’s involvement.
In response to the court’s ruling, the Ogun State Government issued a statement on Thursday, expressing its strong condemnation of the seizure of the jets.
The statement was signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, who argued that the action taken by the French court is merely a new tactic by the Chinese company to pressure the Nigerian government. He added that previous attempts to seize Nigerian assets in other foreign jurisdictions had failed.
The Ogun State Government described the judicial move as unjust and indicated that it plans to contest the ruling. The state government maintains that the aircraft are used for sovereign purposes and, therefore, should be immune from attachment under both international and French law.
They further accused Zhongshan of deliberately withholding crucial information from the Federal Government of Nigeria, Ogun State, and their legal teams during the court proceedings. The government also claimed that Zhongshan misled the Paris court regarding the ownership and use of the seized jets.
Akinmade, in his statement, pointed out that the state will continue to challenge the court order and explore every legal avenue available to reverse the seizure of the presidential aircraft, emphasizing the state’s dedication to protecting its sovereign assets.
Credit: Punchng.com
