A Nigerian
oil tycoon, Kolawole “Kola” Aluko, owes a European bank millions of dollars for
a mortgage he took out to purchase a $50.9 million luxury condo in New
York,
according to the New York Post.
Banque
Havilland, based in Luxembourg, issued a $35.3 million loan to Mr. Aluko to
purchase the 79th-floor penthouse at 157 East 57th Street in New York, but the
oil tycoon has missed several payments, leading the bank to force a sale of the
property next month.
The New York
Post reports that the residential foreclosure could be the biggest in New York
history.
The bank has
listed Mr. Aluko’s 213-foot yacht as collateral and will collect the mortgage
payment it’s owed, which was due last fall, plus interest.
In addition
to his mortgage payment, Mr. Aluko owes property taxes and maintenance fees.
The New York Post reports that he has not been seen “for some time” and could
be hiding in his yacht.
The yacht,
which he rented to Jay-Z and Beyonce in 2015 for $900,000 a week, was last
registered in the Bahamas on May 3, but since then has been "out of
range."
Mr. Aluko is
under investigation by the Nigerian government for money laundering in a
scandal involving former Minister of Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke. It was
alleged that Mr. Aluko, along with Jide Omokore, stole over $1.7 billion in oil
assets from the federal government.
Atlantic
Energy, a company owned by Mr. Aluko and Mr. Omokore, was granted several
lucrative oil contracts, allegedly on the instructions of Mrs. Alison-Madueke.
Saharareporters reported that the Nigerian
government subsequently attempted to freeze Mr. Aluko’s assets, including
properties in California and Switzerland.
However,
authorities have been unable to track down the billionaire, who is believed to
be traveling in his yacht.
He has also
been declared wanted by British authorities, who requested that Swiss
authorities assist them in arresting Mr. Aluko.
Mr. Aluko
has recently been selling off his expensive properties. The New York Post
reports that he sold a 2.4-acre estate in Montecito, California to Gwyneth
Paltrow. In 2012, Mr. Aluko purchased a mansion in Beverly Hills, California
for $14.7 million dollars. He rented the property to singer Ariana Grande
before selling it for $13 million in 2016.
The oil
tycoon has recently tried selling another New York apartment at 1049 5th
Avenue, which he purchased for $8.5 million in 2013. He owes $61,000 in taxes
to the city.
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