The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN says all the aircraft on the presidential fleet are sovereign assets used solely for sovereign purposes and are therefore immune from attachment by any entity.
He described the seizure of three Presidential jets in Paris as illegal, adding that Nigeria will deploy legal and diplomatic means to retrieve the sovereign assets.
Fagbemi said this in a statement issued by his Special Assistant, Media on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that this followed an interim attachment of three presidential aircraft undergoing routine maintenance in France made pursuant to exparte orders issued by the Judicial Court of Paris.
“The actions by France it would be recalled was on account of alleged debt owed it by the Nigerian government.
“The office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, and the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice are currently weighing both diplomatic and legal means.
“They have set in motion both legal and diplomatic steps to ensure the discharge of the inappropriate orders against the aircrafts, which are covered by sovereign immunity.
“While further actions are being put in place to resolve the entire dispute through available legal means, the firm position of the federal government remains that the aircrafts in question are sovereign assets used solely for sovereign purposes and are therefore immune from attachment as Zhongshan has sought to do’’.
He said the orders were dated 7 March and 12 August, 2024 at the instance of Zhongshan Industrial Investment Company Limited, a Chinese company seeking to enforce a Final Award granted in its favour on 26 March 2024 against Ogun State government.
The arbitral award arose from an arbitration proceeding commenced in 2018 following a contractual dispute between the Chinese company and Ogun State government.
The claimants say that though the dispute originated from engagements of Ogun State government, the consequential enforcement actions are being directed against the Federal Government and its assets.
It claimed that this was in line with extant principles of international which holds that the actions of a substantial or local entity are attributable to the state or country itself.
Nigeria and France have had long-standing robust diplomatic relationship and applying diplomatic means to retrieve the jets appears the best strategy in the circumstance.
