Former Labour Lord Mayor loses legal battle over home bought with black market funds

The National Crime Agency has finally seized possession of a lavish "millionaires' row" home belonging to the first-ever African-born Lord Mayor of Leeds. Abigail Katung, 50, who is married to a high-profile Nigerian Senator, must now hand over the luxury mansion after investigators found it was bought using funds routed through a 'black market' transfer system.

The former Labour councillor has now lost her legal fight with the UK law enforcement agency responsible for tackling organised crime and drug trafficking and will now lose the luxury home in Leeds upmarket Alwoodley district of the city she began buying in 2015. The NCA accepted title to the house on Sandmoor Drive - the most expensive postcode in the West Yorkshire city - in 2020, as part of a £10 million civil recovery agreement with a businessman suspected of money laundering offences. Mrs Katung was not party to the earlier proceedings, but had entered into an agreement with the previous owner to purchase the house in 2015. She paid him approximately £400,000 of the contracted £1m purchase price.

The remaining sum was never provided but there is no suggestion that Mrs Katung was aware of the alleged criminality of the former owner.

The case revealed, however, that the vast majority of funds used for Mrs Katung's deposit were routed from Nigeria, where she was born, to the UK via an informal value transfer system she described as a "parallel" or "black" market.

The judge noted that Mrs Katung disclosed very little documentation concerning the transfers into her company's UK bank account and that her husband, Sunday Marshall Katung, a State Senator in Nigeria who was alleged to be the source of the monies routed to the UK, did not provide a witness statement.

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The judge described these facts as "telling omissions" from her evidence from which he drew an adverse inference.

He said he did not find Mrs Katung's evidence to be frank and forthcoming and he was also "not satisfied she was a particularly reliable witness".

In June 2025, the High Court found that Mrs Katung had no legitimate interest in or right to the property, which had been legally transferred to the NCA in October 2020.

Mrs Katung then sought to appeal the judgement but this was refused, with a judge stating that any appeal would have "no real prospect of success". The NCA obtained a writ of possession in February 2026 which has now been enforced.

A spokesperson said officers had been in and changed the locks but did not confirm when Mrs Katung left the property.

Rob Burgess, Head of Asset Denial at the NCA, 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.

"This matter has taken a considerable amount of time to litigate - at the taxpayer's expense. Now that the NCA has gained possession of the property, it will be sold, with the proceeds being returned to the public purse."

The property sits along the most expensive homes on the market with one home recently listed at £3million.

The affluent residents make no secret of their wealth, with each towering mansion boasting bold lavish statement pieces in their entrances. Tourists regularly descend to feast their eyes on a range of huge electric gates, some with gold-plating, floral, gothic and classical features.

In 2024, Mrs Marshall Katung became the 130th Lord Mayor of Leeds - and the first person of African descent chosen to hold the prestigious title. Born in Nigeria, she moved to Leeds to study politics, and was elected to represent Little London and Woodhouse ward in 2019.

Her husband, Sunday Marshall Katung, 64, is a lawyer who has served as the Senator Representing Kaduna South Senatorial District since 2023. He was previously a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria representing Jaba/Zangon Kataf Federal constituency of Kaduna State.