'Galactica Star', the 65-metre super yacht owned by Nigerian
oil mogul Kolawole Aluko has been sold.
According to a report by Yachtharbour.com, the yacht was
sold on July 25th 2019 by Fraser representing the seller while Burgess
represented the buyer.
The vessel was listed for sale earlier this year for
$42,000,000, as a result of a notorious corruption case in Nigeria, involving
Aluko, Prince Olajide Omokore and former oil minister, Diezani
Alison-Madueke.
The yacht was custom-built by Dutch yard Heesen in 2013 and
is second only to the builder’s 70-metre Galactica Super Nova in terms of LOA.
The yatch features exterior styling by Omega Architects, engineering by Van
Oossanen & Associates, finished by interiors from the boards of Bannenberg
& Rowell.
Back in April 2019, the vessel was offered for sale in a
sealed bid arrangement proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the
Federal Republic of Nigeria and approved by U.S. federal court.
The sale process tracks back to a corruption case against
Aluko who is one of four defendants accused of cheating Nigeria out of almost
$1.8 billion in siphoned crude oil sales. The U.S. government also accused
Aluko and Omokore, of laundering money in the United States and using it to
acquire the yacht, among other assets.
