Ex Leeds Lord Mayor 'dreadfully upset' as £1m luxury house seized by National Crime Agency after High Court ruling

Abigail Marshall Katung agreed to buy the luxury home on Sandmoor Drive in Alwoodley from the previous owner in 2015, the NCA said, and paid a £400,000 deposit of the contracted £1m price tag to a businessman who later suspected of money laundering.

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But the sitting Labour Party councillor, who represents the Little London and Woodhouse ward, never completed the purchase and now the NCA has won full ownership of the house following a ruling by the High Court.

Mrs Marshall Katung said she intends to appeal the ruling, which was made in a civil court.

The NCA said it accepted title to the house in 2020, as part of a £10m civil recovery agreement with the businessman suspected of money laundering offences. At the time, no other interests in the property were declared, the NCA statement said.

And the High Court judge presiding over the case last week found Mrs Marshall Katung, who served as Lord Mayor from 2024 to 2025, had no legitimate interest or right to the property, and noting that there were “telling omissions” in her evidence.

The judge also said he was “not satisfied that she was a particularly reliable witness”.

It was heard that most of the funds used for Mrs Marshall Katung's deposit had been sent from Nigeria to the UK via an informal value transfer system, which the NCA statement said she described as a “parallel” or “black” market. There is no suggestion she knew about the alleged criminality of the formal owner, the NCA said.

As well as the house being handed over, the NCA said Mrs Marshall Katung must pay damages for living in the mansion as well as legal costs.

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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.

“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.”

Coun Marshall Katung, who is currently abroad, told the Yorkshire Evening Post that she has intends to appeal the decision of the court.

In a statement, she said [sic]: “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.

“Secondly, I made full disclosure of this matter to Leeds City Council, and my political colleagues, before today. Whilst this is dreadfully upsetting to me and my family, I have not sought to hide away. I want to continue to represent my constituents, it is the most satisfying task I have ever undertaken and it is a complete privilege to be able to do so. I recognise that enquiries will have to be undertaken in order to preserve public confidence in the political system in which I operate. I will cooperate with that process fully and unreservedly.

“People have been enormously kind. I accept that, in being kind they are taking me on trust. Trust has to be earned and I intend to continue to earn it, as I have done throughout my time as a public servant.”

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “We were unaware of the personal civil court case between the former Lord Mayor of Leeds, Abigail Marshall Katung and the National Crime Agency.

“We are currently examining the High Court judgement and are unable to comment further at this time.”

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, is also a politician, serving as a high-profile senator in Nigeria.