On The Run Oil Baron, Kola Aluko To Suffer $11m Loss Or More In Sale Of Luxury Apartment Abroad

Dailymail is reporting that

“A luxurious Manhattan apartment previously owned by an on-the-run Nigerian billionaire is up for sale for $11million less than he bought it for.

Disgraced Nigerian energy businessman Kolawole ‘Kola’ Aluko, 48, bought Apartment 79 in the One57 building in 2014 for $51.9million.

And now as he tries to evade authorities – the penthouse apartment is now up for sale for just $39.9million.

The seller is apparently anxious to get rid of the property – as it is listed by a ‘MOTIVATED SELLER!!!’

The property was supposed to be sold at a foreclosure auction in July.

However, that sale fell through for an unknown reason and it has now been put back on the market by a ‘motivated seller’.

The 6,240 square foot apartment is described as a four bed, four-and-a-half bathroom penthouse with stunning views of Central Park, the Hudson and East rivers, the Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty.

It is described as a ‘once in a lifetime investment opportunity’ as it’s the ‘last remaining full floor residence at Manhattan’s New Crown Jewel, One 57 Condominium”

The platform with proper web address dailymail.co.uk further reports “Aluko bought the sprawling penthouse for $51.9million in 2014, but in less than a year later however he was forced to take out a $35.5million mortgage from Banque Havilland in Luxembourg to help pay for the apartment.

When the owner failed to pay the loan back a year later, the bank took possession of the 6,420-square-foot apartment, according to court documents.

‘The home was in foreclosure, but it is now being sold by a third party as an alternative to foreclosure,’ a source close to the property told the New York Post.

The source also said Compass broker Ali H Jafri is handling the sale, and that Aluko isn’t involved.

Aluko has been accused of making money by bribing Nigeria’s oil minister – Diezani Alison-Madueke – in a $1.76billion dollar scheme to defraud the country’s oil sale profits.

The justice department lawsuit claims that Aluko and one other laundered money by purchasing $144million in properties – including the penthouse and yatch, where he is thought to be hiding out to evade arrest.

The 213-foot Galactica Star is worth $80million, as he is under investigation for alleged money-laundering crimes in Nigeria and Europe.”