The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the judgment given by a Commercial Court in the United Kingdom saved Nigeria from having its assets seized by the Irish firm, Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID).
Alhaji Mohammed made the clarifications during a media briefing in Abuja on the outcome of the Court proceedings.
Speaking, Mohammed said the Federal Government has mandated its lawyers to file an appeal against the court order for a security deposit of $200 million to make the stay of execution of the $9.6 billion award given to P&ID effective.
He said: “Finally, and this is the most important point:
“For those who may still not understand the gravity of the judgement of the Commercial Court in London last week, let me say this: Had we lost our quest for a stay of execution and application to appeal in London last week, P&ID would by now be attempting to seize our assets all over the world.
“Remember they boasted, before the judgment, that they have started compiling a list of our assets which they will attach.
“But now, that’s an empty boast, thanks to the successes recorded in the court of law and the court of public opinion last week.”
Further, he added:
“Gentlemen, I have gone the extra mile to summarize our week-long activities in London as well as the judgement of the London-based Commercial Court on the arbitration award of 9.6 billion US dollars to P&ID in order to put the record straight and knock the bottom off the argument by P&ID and its cohorts that we did not score a big victory in London last week.
“It was indeed a huge victory, and P&ID has every reason to be worried that the 9.6 billion US dollars arbitration award to it has a good chance of being overturned.”
Details of the press statement will be issued later and will be promptly published by this medium.