The Presidency says a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Limited, has been making moves to take over offshore assets of Nigeria through subterfuge.
The Presidency said Zhongshan misled the Judicial Court in Paris, France, into attaching Nigeria’s presidential jets in its judgement against the Ogun State Government.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said this in a statement on Friday, August 16, 2024.
Onanuga, who faulted the use of the presidential jets which were on routine maintenance in France, said the aircraft are assets of a Sovereign entity protected by diplomatic immunity, which forbids any foreign court from issuing an order against them.
“We are convinced the Chinese company misled the Judicial Court of Paris regarding the use and nature of the assets it seeks to attach and did not fully disclose to the court as required by law,” he stated.
The presidential spokesman noted that the federal government was not under any contractual obligation with the Chinese company.
Onanuga added: “The case in which Zhongshan is trying to use every unorthodox means to strip our offshore assets is between the company and the Ogun State Government.
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“The Federal Government is fully aware of efforts being made by the Ogun State Government to reach an amicable resolution on the matter.”
Onanuga stated that the Chinese company has no solid ground to demand restitution from Ogun State Government based on the facts regarding the 2007 contract between the company and the state government to manage a free-trade zone.
He said when the contract with the state was revoked in 2015, the company had only erected a perimeter fence on the land earmarked for a free trade zone.
According to him, while the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was working with the Ogun State Government on an amicable resolution, Zhongshan obtained two orders from the Judicial Court of Paris.
He said the court orders were dated March 7 and August 12, noting that no notice was duly served on the federal government and Ogun State Government.
“This arm-twisting tactic by the Chinese company is the latest in a long list of failed moves to attach Nigerian government-owned assets in foreign jurisdictions,” Onanuga said.
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