The Federal Government has faulted the moves of a Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, to seize three presidential jets on routine checks in Europe.
It accused the firm of using “subterfuge” and “arm-twisting tactics” to make Nigeria lose some of its ‘’national assets’’ abroad.
The Ogun State government which has a disputed contract with Zhongshan, also flayed the Chinese company for surreptitiously obtaining an ex-parte order from Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris, France to seize three aircraft in the Presidential fleet.
The planes are in France and Switzerland.
The tribunal ordered that the Federal Government, which was mentioned as the second defendant in the matter, be stopped from moving or selling the jets until Zhongshan is paid $74.5 million.
The jets are a Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus 330 at Basel-Mulhouse Airport in Switzerland.
Attorney-General of Federation and Justice Minister, Lateef Fagbemi(SAN) and Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, made clarifications yesterday.
Onanuga, in a statement, accused Zhongshan of withholding vital information and misleading the Paris court about the use and nature of the assets(jets).
He likened the issue to the P&ID case, ‘’where foreign companies collaborated with bureaucrats to attempt defrauding Nigeria.’’
Onanuga, however, assured that the Federal and Ogun state governments would work to discharge the court order and protect Nigeria’s assets from “predators and shylocks” masquerading as investors.
