Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited has announced the release of one of Nigeria’s confiscated Airbus A330 aircraft in France, following a court order obtained by the company from a judiciary court in Paris.
Arise TV reports that a spokesperson for the company revealed on Friday that the decision to release the aircraft was a gesture of goodwill, acknowledging that President Ahmed Bola Tinubu requires it for an upcoming meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Zhongshan has consistently sought to act reasonably and fairly in the course of a legal dispute with Nigeria, which was not of its making. It has now been made aware that an Airbus A330, currently detained in France as a result of a French court order obtained by Zhongshan, is needed for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to travel to a scheduled meeting with President Macron of France early next week. As a gesture of goodwill, Zhongshan has lifted the seizure of that aircraft immediately. This will allow it to be used for the President’s trip,” the statement read.
The company also expressed its commitment to continuing discussions with the Nigerian government to reach a “reasonable compromise rapidly.”
On Thursday, the Federal Government disclosed that it had initiated legal actions to address the interim attachment of three presidential aircraft in France.
These aircraft, which were undergoing routine maintenance, were temporarily seized following ex parte orders issued by the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7 and August 12, 2024.
The orders were secured by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese firm seeking to enforce an arbitral award granted in its favor in 2021 against Ogun State, a sub-national entity in Nigeria.
Kamarudeen Ogundele, Special Adviser to the President on Communication and Publicity in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, confirmed in a press statement that the government had taken both legal and diplomatic steps to ensure the release of the aircraft.
He made it known that the aircraft are sovereign assets, used exclusively for sovereign purposes, and are therefore immune from attachment.
Meanwhile, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited reiterated its confidence in the arbitral panel’s decision, which was unanimously in its favour.
The spokesperson for the company said, “Zhongshan has only ever sought to assert its rights under international law and is confident in its case. The independent arbitral panel found unanimously in its favor, and courts in multiple countries have upheld the view that the panel’s award of compensation should be enforced. The French court was in full possession of the facts when it reached its decision.”
