Is the SuperYacht Galactica Star about to be repossessed?
I ask because The Times newspaper has carried a story about Kolawole Aluko, a Nigerian oil magnate who owns the yacht.
It seems that Mr Aluko is being sought by governments and banks around the world not least because he is at the centre of “the most expensive repossession ever”
His US $51 million residence in One57 the skyscraper in New York and known as “billionaires’ building” is about to be sold by auction in his absence and is expected to set a record as the most expensive property ever repossessed in the USA.
The city of New York is looking for him with regard to unpaid property taxes on his apartment, while managers of the building at 157 West 57th Street in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City were after him for unpaid maintenance charges. A bank in Luxembourg is seeking him in regard to the repayment of a $35.3 million loan and the Nigerian government has expressed an interest in finding out about his whereabouts.
Described in The Times as a sometime friend of Leonardo DiCaprio, Mr Aluko has recently been seen on board his yacht Galactica Star the 65 metre fast displacement yacht built by Heesen Yachts in 2014.
Banque Havilland, the Luxembourg institution forcing the sale of the apartment is understood to have a financial interest in the superyacht