Seized presidential jets: Amosun denies wrongdoing, says Chinese firm is an impostor

Ibikunle Amosun, the former Ogun State governor, has accused Zhongfu International Investment FXE of being an impostor in the ongoing dispute over the Ogun/Guangdong Free Trade Zone

Three aircraft belonging to the Nigerian presidential fleet were recently seized in France and Switzerland following a court order.

The seizure was initiated by Zhongfu, a Chinese company embroiled in a long-standing legal dispute with Ogun State over the management of an export processing zone.

The seized jets include a Dassault Falcon 7X in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus A330 valued at over $100 million that was yet to be delivered. The latter two are currently undergoing maintenance in Switzerland.

Zhongfu was awarded $74.5 million in damages after a court ruled in its favor over the contract termination by Ogun State. The seizure of the presidential jets is part of the company’s efforts to recover this amount.

In a statement released on Saturday, Amosun, who terminated the firm’s contract during his tenure, outlined the historical context and legal battles surrounding the issue, emphasising that the dispute is primarily a business rivalry between two Chinese companies, China Africa Investment FXE and Zhongfu International Investment FXE, with no substantive involvement of the Ogun State or Nigerian governments.

According to Amosun, his administration became involved in the dispute when both companies laid claim to the management rights of the zone shortly after he assumed office in 2011.

To maintain order, the state government appointed Zhongfu International Investment FXE as interim zone manager pending further investigations.

However, subsequent findings revealed that Zhongfu International Investment FXE had misled the government and was attempting to usurp the rights of the legitimate investor, China Africa Investment FXE.
The Chinese government later confirmed that China Africa Investment FXE was the rightful investor, according to the former governor.

Amosun emphasised that his administration took decisive steps to address the issue, including terminating Zhongfu International Investment FXE’s interim management role and seeking legal advice.

He also noted that Zhongfu International Investment FXE had initiated several legal actions, all of which were unsuccessful.

The former governor emphasized that the original agreement made in 2007 under his predecessor’s administration is still valid and that no new negotiations were conducted during his tenure.

He also denied allegations that his administration used security forces to intimidate or harass Zhongfu, asserting that any such incidents likely stemmed from the ongoing rivalry between the disputing Chinese companies.

He called on the government to treat the matter with the same seriousness as the P&ID case, asserting that Zhongfu International Investment FXE should not be allowed to appropriate Nigeria’s assets.

Read the full statement below:

ZHONGFU FIRM IS AN IMPOSTOR, IT’S CHINESE AGAINST CHINESE DISPUTE: Ex-Governor Amosun

We have read various media accounts of the above in both print and social media. We have also read and aligned with the very appropriate responses from Ogun State and the Federal Government. At different levels, Government is a continuum and the various segments of events leading to this unfortunate situation occurred before, during and after our administration.

Our administration assumed office on 29 May, 2011. Very shortly after we took office, two different sets of Chinese companies, Messrs China Africa Investment FXE and Zhongfu International Investment FXE laid claims to Management rights over the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ). The business dispute and rivalry between Chinese concerns soon became fierce, grounded seamless business activities, and threatened public peace and safety within the Zone and neighbuoring communities.

There were claims and counter claims as to who between the two was the lawful representative of the original joint venturer, Guangdong Province, China and consequentially, who had the right to manage the Zone.

Zhongfu International Investment FXE, pretending to be a concerned and genuine tenant and Zone stakeholder volunteered very damaging and destructive information about the official representatives of Guangdong Province, the Joint Venturer and lawful Zone Managers, China Africa Investment FXE and subsequently requested to be appointed as Interim Zone Managers.

Based on the information at the government’s disposal, Zhongfu International Investment FXE was appointed interim zone manager on March 15, 2012, pending further evaluation. The idea was to ensure that someone was in charge and thereby prevent unwholesome and untoward development in the Zone pending the completion of our fact-finding exercise.