In response to a court judgement from a Paris judicial court, one of the three Nigerian Airbus A330 planes that were being held in France was freed by the Chinese company Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd.
According to reports the company had taken control of an Airbus A330-243, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ, and a Dassault Falcon 7X that belonged to the federal government of Nigeria.
The aircraft were located at the airports in Basel, Switzerland, and Paris-Le Bourget.
In a statement issued on Friday, the company said it had released one of the seized jets as a “goodwill gesture” ahead of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The corporation stated that President Tinubu will be allowed to use the Airbus A330, which is currently detained in France due to the French court injunction acquired by Zhongshan, for his trip to France
The Federal Government had taken legal action to resolve the interim seizure of three presidential aircraft in France, which were detained following ex parte decisions granted by the Paris Judicial Court on March 7 and August 12, 2024.
The Offices of the National Security Adviser and Attorney-General of the Federation are pursuing both legal and diplomatic measures to secure the aircraft’s release, according to Kamarudeen Ogundele, Special Advisor to the President on Communication and Publicity at the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Ogundele emphasised that the aeroplanes are government assets, used only for sovereign objectives, and thus immune to attachment. Zhongshan expressed confidence in the arbitral panel’s decision, which was unanimously in its favour.
The spokeswoman emphasised that courts in other nations have backed the panel’s decision to grant compensation, bolstering the company’s position.
What they’re saying
“Zhongshan has just attempted to enforce its rights under international law, and it remains confident in its position.The independent arbitral panel ruled unanimously in our favour, and courts in numerous countries upheld the tribunal’s judgement of compensation. The French court had all of the essential information when it made its conclusion,” the spokeswoman noted.
Bottom Line
The seizure of the Nigerian aircraft by Zhongshan appears to be rooted in an international legal dispute where the company is enforcing a claim against the Nigerian government.
This type of action, where assets are seized in a foreign country, usually occurs when a party believes that another owes it a debt or has violated a contractual agreement.
The unanimous ruling by the arbitral panel in favor of Zhongshan and the subsequent upholding of this ruling by courts in various countries strengthens the company’s legal position.
