Announcement has been made by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company, a Chinese firm, regarding the release of one of the three Nigerian presidential jets that were seized following an order from a French court.
A statement released by the company’s spokesperson clarified this on Friday.
It was stated by the company that the aircraft’s release is a gesture of goodwill, as they have been informed that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu would require it for an upcoming meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“It has come to our attention that the Airbus A330, presently detained in France due to a French court order obtained by Zhongshan, is necessary for the President of Nigeria to attend a scheduled meeting with President Macron of France in the coming week.
“In an act of goodwill, Zhongshan has decided to lift the seizure of that aircraft with immediate effect, permitting its use for the President’s travel,” mentioned the company.
This development follows the firm’s acquisition of a court order to seize a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ, and an Airbus A330-243 owned by the Nigerian Federal Government, parked at airports in France.
These events stemmed from a contract cancellation by the Ogun State government in 2016.
It is the most recent arbitration action against Nigeria by a foreign enterprise citing Nigeria’s breach of an agreement.
The Federal Government had previously stated on Thursday that it had commenced legal and diplomatic measures to address the temporary detention of three presidential aircraft in France.