The son of Nigeria's next president, Bola Tinubu, purchased a London mansion that the previous government was trying to seize as part of an investigation into a $1.6 billion fraud.
The property, located in the St. John's Wood district of north London, was purchased by a company called Aranda in October 2017. Aranda is owned by Seyi Tinubu, the son of Bola Tinubu.
The previous government was investigating the mansion as part of a probe into a $1.6 billion fraud involving Nigerian oil company Atlantic Energy Drilling Company. Kola Aluko, a Nigerian businessman who was a co-founder of Atlantic Energy, was one of the people under investigation.
In 2017, the Nigerian government froze assets belonging to Aluko, including the London mansion. However, Aranda purchased the property from Deutsche Bank, which had taken possession of the mansion after Aluko defaulted on a loan.
There is no suggestion that Bola Tinubu was personally involved in the purchase of the London mansion. However, the timing of the purchase has raised eyebrows, as it came just months after the previous government began investigating the fraud case.
The purchase of the London mansion is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Bola Tinubu. Tinubu is a former governor of Lagos state and one of the most powerful politicians in Nigeria. He is seen as a frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election.
Tinubu has been accused of corruption and cronyism in the past. He has also been criticized for his close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned Islamist group in Nigeria.
The purchase of the London mansion by Tinubu's son is likely to add to the scrutiny of the former governor. It remains to be seen whether Tinubu will be able to overcome these controversies and win the presidency.