Abigail Katung, the wife of Nigerian senator Sunday Katung, said she has appealed a High Court judgement granting forfeiture of her house to the UK National Crime Agency (NCA).
PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how the NCA, the UK’s law enforcement agency responsible for tackling organised crime and drug trafficking, won a High Court battle with Mrs Katung over the rights to the house located at Sandmoor Drive in Alwoodley, Leeds.
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The NCA accepted title to the house in 2020, as part of a £10 million civil recovery agreement with a businessman suspected of money laundering offences.
Mrs Katung filed an interest claim in the house because she had entered into an agreement with the previous owner to purchase the house in 2015. She paid him £400,000 of the contracted £1,000,000 purchase price.
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Court documents revealed that the majority of funds used for Mrs Katung’s deposit were transferred from Nigeria to the UK via the Bureau De Change operation she described as a “parallel” or “black” market.
In his ruling, Justice Jay of the UK High Court noted there were “telling omissions” from her evidence, and the court was “not satisfied that she was a particularly reliable witness”.
Mrs Katung did not provide an “adequate, documented explanation” of the transaction. Therefore, the judge ruled that she was “conducting a business in foreign exchange transactions to circumvent Nigerian foreign exchange regulations and/or to avoid a punitive exchange rate.”
The High Court also ruled that Mrs Katung had no legitimate interest or right to the property, which will be vested in and transferred to the NCA.
The judge said, “No credit falls to be given for the value of the deposit payments made by Mrs Katung.”
The NCA will be entitled to damages for Mrs Katung’s use and occupation of the house since 2020, as well as to its costs.
Reacting to the judgement, the Punch newspaper reported Mrs Katung as saying, “The house has not been seized yet as there’s now an appeal lodged in the court. There is no point in disguising my upset at the terms of the judgment. I need to make two things clear.
“First, I intend to appeal on both the facts and the law. Particularly, the judgment reflects neither my consistent account nor the documentation I provided. Because it is plainly not appropriate for me to comment on the details of the appeal, which will be considered by a higher court in due course, that is all I can sensibly say for now.”
Mrs Katung added that she had made “full disclosure” of the ruling to the Leeds City Council prior to it becoming public knowledge, adding: “Whilst this is dreadfully upsetting to me and my family, I have not sought to hide away,” Mrs Katung said.
Meanwhile, Head of Asset Denial at the NCA, Rob Burgess, said the NCA uses both civil and criminal powers to investigate the provenance of assets in the UK believed to have been acquired using the proceeds of crime.
“The court’s finding here will allow us to fully recover a property we accepted title to in 2020, ensuring that a substantial sum can be returned to the public purse.”
Mrs Katung became Leeds’ first lord mayor of African descent when she took over the ceremonial role for a 12-month term in May 2024.
She has lived in the city since she came to the UK to study at the University of Leeds in 2000 and has represented the Little London and Woodhouse ward since being elected in 2019.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party told BBC that an internal investigation into Mrs Katung was taking place.
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We are currently examining the High Court judgement and are unable to comment further at this time,” a Leeds City Council spokesperson told the BBC.
On Wednesday, Mr Katung defended his family against any wrongdoing.
A statement signed by the senator’s spokesperson, Midat Joseph, said, “For the avoidance of doubt, Senator Sunday Marshall Katung and his Wife, Abigail Katung have always conducted their affairs lawfully and transparently, and will pursue all necessary legal action to correct this defamatory narrative.”
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