A Chinese company, Zhongshan Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, has released one of Nigeria’s three presidential aircraft that were recently detained in France.
The aircraft, an Airbus A330, was held following an order obtained by Zhongshan from a judicial court in Paris. However, in a statement issued yesterday, the company’s spokesperson announced that the jet had been released as a gesture of goodwill, acknowledging that President Bola Tinubu required it for an upcoming meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The statement read, “We have been informed that an Airbus A330, currently detained in France by a court order obtained by Zhongshan, is essential for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to attend a scheduled meeting with President Macron of France early next week. As a gesture of goodwill, Zhongshan has lifted the seizure of the aircraft immediately to facilitate the president’s trip.”
Zhongshan also reiterated its commitment to ongoing negotiations with the Nigerian government, expressing a desire to reach a “reasonable compromise rapidly.”
The detention of the three aircraft, which were undergoing routine maintenance, was a result of ex parte orders issued by the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7 and August 12, 2024. These orders were secured by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited to enforce an arbitral award granted in its favor in 2021 against Ogun State, a sub-national entity in Nigeria. The French court had previously authorized the seizure of the three presidential jets belonging to the Nigerian government due to a failed business agreement between Ogun State and the Chinese firm. Two of the aircraft were recently listed for sale.
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