Five years ago,Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Blue Ivy went all-out during summer by renting a superyacht called Galactica Star for a reported $900,000 per week. You really can’t expect something less from the Carters, right?
At the time, outlets reported that the vessel was worth a whopping $73 million, which is not at all surprising if you know its specs: it is a 65-meter-long and 37-ft-wide beast, fuel-efficient, and can comfortably house 12 VIP guests – in short, it is as luxurious as its name. In 2014, the year it was revealed, Galactica Star was touted the Oscars of the super-yacht industry and it also snatched the Neptune Trophy.
Everett225/DepositPhotos | Jay-Z and Beyonce are one of Hollywood’s golden couples
Soon enough, details about the ride emerged. As expected, its exterior is as glorious as its interior, which was because it was designed by no less than the famous Bannenberg and Rowell Design. So, as you have probably noticed, Queen Bey must have had a nice time at the boat.
However, as the media noted, even though you have $900,000 to spare, you simply couldn’t rent out the megayacht. You have to personally know the owner, Kola Aluko, a Nigerian oil magnate, that may not ring a bell for most of us.
Blue Ivy/Instagram | Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Blue Ivy went all-out during summer by renting a superyacht called Galactica Star
But did you know that Kola is famous among celebrities? He used to date supermodel Naomi Campbell and once threw a birthday party for Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio – to cut it short, he is rubbing elbows with the who’s-who in the entertainment industry.
However, the man is also popular in his home country for a not-so-admirable reason. Kola is facing two fat lawsuits: one from the US government and another from the Nigerian government.
The first one was lodged by the Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which prompted the sales of Kola’s One57 New York penthouse that’s worth $50.9 million and the mentioned $80-million superyacht. These were sold for $39.9 million and $70 million (to the Carters), respectively.
Kola Aluko is slapped with two lawsuits
Apparently, the apartment and the yacht were bought from the proceeds of a deal sealed by Kola and one business partner, Olajide Omokore, with Diezani Alison-Madueke, the oil minister at the time.
The Nigerian government, meanwhile, said that Kola bribed Diezani and sought to get $1.76 billion from him and Olajide. The man reportedly acquired luxurious properties in different countries from the money he got in the fraudulent deals. Some of his lavish purchases were rare luxury cars, watches, and private planes.
Kola also had to sell some of his properties at a low price. His Montecito, California residence that spans 2.4 acres was sold to Gwyneth Paltrow for just $4.9 million while his $24.5-million Bel-Air estate was only sold for $21.5 million.
