More Troubles for Nigerian Oil Mogul Kola Aluko As United States Moves to Seize His $25million mansion and other luxury properties.
A court in Southern District of Texas, United States, will soon rule on the request by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to seize an opulent LA property owned by a Nigerian oil mogul Kola Aluko.
According to African Intelligence, the U.S. authorities said the property was acquired to launder ill-gotten gains.
The DoJ money laundering and asset recovery section initiated the proceedings at the Texas court to seize the $25million mansion in Los Angeles owned by Aluko, an ally of the embattled former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Aluko was believed to be among those who benefitted from plum oil and gas contracts when Diezani was oil minister.
He was alleged to have bribed the former oil minister in order to win oil production contracts worth $1.5billion, according to a civil forfeiture complaint filed by the DoJ.
According to the report, the DoJ is not giving up on its hunt for assets acquired on American soil by Aluko and other allies of Diezani.
The report noted that the US Government, represented by Joshua Lee Sohn, trial attorney at the DoJ, had initiated proceedings at the Texas court, which hears many federal asset-forfeiture cases to seize a villa at 755 Sarbonne Road in western Los Angeles acquired in 2012 by Aluko.
This luxurious property, which includes an infinity pool and 1,400 square metres of land on the city’s heights, is estimated to be worth nearly $25million. The DoJ said the mansion was acquired through “specified illegal activity” that justifies its confiscation.
The DoJ, the report added, said Aluko bought three other mansions in the US through shell companies, one in Beverly Hills worth $15 million and two in Santa Barbara valued at $33 million. It said these properties have not yet been involved in seizure proceedings.
Earlier, the US had seized Aluko’s 65- metre Galactica Star Superyatch alleged to have been acquired through fraudulent means.
In April 2019, the vessel was offered for sale in a sealed bid arrangement, proposed by the U.S. DoJ and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and approved by the U.S. federal court.
The yacht was sold on 25 July 2019, according to Yachtharbour.com.
The yacht was custom-built by Dutch yard Heesen in 2013 and was second only to the builder’s 70-metre Galactica Super Nova in terms of LOA. She features exterior styling by Omega Architects, engineering by Van Oossanen & Associates, finished by interiors from the boards of Bannenberg & Rowell.