The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has announced that his office, alongside the National Security Adviser, has initiated legal and diplomatic measures to recover three Nigerian presidential aircrafts seized in France due to a fine imposed on Ogun State.
According to The PUNCH, in a statement issued on Thursday, Special Adviser to the President on Communication and Publicity, Kamarudeen Ogundele, said the two offices are taking steps to challenge the orders against the aircraft, which are protected by sovereign immunity.
“The Offices of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney-General of the Federation have already set in motion both legal and diplomatic steps to ensure the discharge of the inappropriate orders against the aircraft, which are covered by sovereign immunity,” the statement said.
It continued, “While further actions are being put in place to resolve the entire dispute through available legal means, the firm position of the Federal Government remains that the aircraft in question are sovereign assets used solely for sovereign purposes and are therefore immune from attachment as Zhongshan has sought to do.”
The French court’s decision led to the seizure of three of Nigeria’s presidential jets: a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus 330 at Basel-Mulhouse airport in Switzerland.
The Airbus 330, purchased by Nigeria at over $100 million, has yet to be delivered.
The jets, which were part of Nigeria’s presidential air fleet and are currently undergoing maintenance, were seized following a legal dispute involving Zhongshan, a Chinese company.
In 2016, Zhongshan had its export processing zone management contract with Ogun State revoked.
Zhongshan subsequently won a $74.5 million compensation award in an independent arbitration tribunal, which the Ogun State government has not yet paid.
The court’s order prevents Nigeria from relocating or selling the aircraft until Zhongshan receives the compensation from Ogun State.
