US District Judge Katherine Forrest has ordered a controversial Nigerian businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim, to pay over $10 million for failing to meet his obligations on two aircraft he leased for the operations of his Nigerian air traffic business that is now grounded. Mr. Ibrahim had personally guaranteed the leased aircraft on behalf of his defunct airline, Air Nigeria.

SaharaReporters obtained a ruling by Justice Forrest in which she ordered the shady Nigerian businessman to pay up the initial $8 million owed to Aersale Inc., the owners of the leased aircraft. In addition, the judge ruled that Mr. Ibrahim must pay interests on the lease as well as legal fees.

Delivered in the form of a summary judgment, the ruling criticized the Nigerian businessman for seeking to find loopholes to enable him to disown the lease guarantee. She ruled that his legal schemes could not invalidate the lease agreement.

Mr. Ibrahim had challenged the authenticity of the lease document he had personally signed on behalf of Air Nigeria. He claimed that some pages of the lease document were not initialed. He also claimed that the passport number used on the document was from one of his expired passports. In addition, he tried to shift the blame for his business decisions on the moribund airline’s former managing director, Kinfe Kassanye, claiming that the former MD misled him into signing the lease.

But an unimpressed Judge Forrest dismissed Mr. Ibrahim's pleadings, describing the case as a straightforward issue of breach of contract. She added that Mr. Ibrahim did not deny that he signed the lease and was well aware of its implications.

The judge also denied Mr. Ibrahim's request to have Air Nigeria named as the main defendant in the case.

The ruling has been certified, and Judge Forrest has asked the plaintiffs, Aersale, Inc., to file papers in the form of a motion detailing the full scope of the company’s interests and costs. The firm’s filings are expected to include how much it cost the company to hire attorneys to file and pursue the lawsuit against Mr. Ibrahim.

Air Nigeria collapsed a few days after a Dana Airways flight crashed in a Lagos suburb, killing all passengers on board as well as some people on the ground.

A whistleblower who worked for Air Nigeria, John Nnorom, provided SaharaReporters with detailed information of the depth of the airline’s financial and technical crises. Mr. Nnorom and other anonymous staff sources told SaharaReporters that Air Nigeria would have sustained a tragic air crash because Mr. Ibrahim was more interested in carting away profits than in maintaining the aircraft in his airline’s fleet. They also revealed that he owed numerous service maintenance providers and lessors huge sums of debt.

The revelations compelled the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to revoke the airline’s air worthiness certificate, leading to its collapse.

A New York-based lawyer said Aersale, Inc. would likely seek the seizure of Mr. Ibrahim's private jet as part of a broader strategy to recouping debts owed to them

http://pheesayor..com/2013/09/new-york-judge-orders-jimoh-ibrahim-to.html

He won't pay nada!

10m dollars! where is he going to shiiit that out from and still remain 'oga'?

Anyway, seeing its Sahara reporters news, its always fake.

I remembered when few goons from SW paraded this scumbag on the NL as one of the bright spots SW has produced.

Jimoh has always been a bad son.

Another government businessman, the day their channel of free money is blocked, they fall like a house of cards.

Doing a business that isnt meant for him...

Gboliwe: 10m dollars! where is he going to shiiit that out from and still remain 'oga'?

Anyway, seeing its Sahara reporters news, its always fake.

First thing: He is one of Nigeria's richest men, he has been on dat list 4 a while nw, according to d list he is worth ova $100m. So he may hav d money, just being stingy.
Second thing is: Since early dis year, he has had trouble trying to keep his business together. He bought majority shares at a newspaper company and closed it down in just weeks. Air Nigeria also has been labelled "a flying coffin" by most person, immediately after the Dana aircrash. Infact, earlier dis year, Air Nigeria workers protested against his management. And dat was d last we heard... until now.

DerideGull: I remembered when few goons from SW paraded this scumbag on the NL as one of the bright spots SW has produced.

Guy, now tell me , despite his so many shortcomings who amongst your SEastern peeps can dim his brightness. You just work yourself to frenzy for nothing,, Time to grow and face more constructive expenditure.