Turkish private jet operator MNG Jet (Istanbul Airport) has said that former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn used two of its aircraft illegally during his dramatic escape from Japan on December 29, alleging that an employee falsified records to exclude his name from documents.
Ghosn fled while on bail, smuggling himself out of Japan to flee criminal prosecution there. The 65-year-old executive had been awaiting trial on multiple counts of financial misconduct, which he denies. The precise details of his escape are not yet clear, although Nippon Television Network has reported that he caught a Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo, getting off at Osaka.
According to The Guardian newspaper, he later boarded a Bombardier Business Aircraft Challenger bound for Beirut, via Istanbul, where he arrived before dawn on December 30.
MNG Jet has since revealed that it had leased two private jets believing they were for two separate clients, one flying from Dubai International to Osaka Kansai and on to Istanbul, the other to fly from Istanbul to Beirut. It said it had subsequently learned that the aircraft were instrumental in Ghosn’s escape and has filed a criminal complaint in Turkey to prosecute anyone involved.
“One employee of the company, who is under investigation by the authorities, has admitted to having falsified the records,” the company said without naming the individual. “He confirmed that he acted in his individual capacity, without the knowledge or the authorisation of the management of MNG Jet.”
It added: “MNG Jet is proactively cooperating with the authorities and hopes that the people who illegally used and/or facilitated the use of the services of the company will be duly prosecuted.”
Ghosn is a Brazilian-born French businessman of Lebanese ancestry. On January 2, Lebanon was presented with an Interpol arrest warrant for the former Nissan boss.
