Turkish police have arrested four pilots and another employee of MNG Jet as part of their investigation into how two of the Istanbul-based operator’s aircraft were used by indicted automotive executive Carlos Ghosn to escape from Japan to Lebanon last week. According to MNG, police have impounded the two aircraft used for flights from Osaka to Istanbul (a Bombardier Global 6000, tail number TC-TSR) and from Istanbul to Beirut (a Bombardier Challenger 300, tail number TC-RZA).
Meanwhile, on Monday morning, Japanese justice minister Masako Mori announced an investigation into how Ghosn had been able to leave the country while subject to bail restrictions and having surrendered his three passports to police. At the press conference, she further said immigration procedures are likely to be tightened at Japanese airports.
According to MNG Jet, its crew used InterAviation Japan to provide handling for the Global 6000 aircraft at Osaka Kansai International Airport. Japan’s NHK news outlet quoted unnamed aviation industry sources in reporting that two U.S. citizens were on board the flight, in addition to two Turkish pilots and a flight attendant. This report also said two large boxes designed to carry large audio equipment used by musicians were among the baggage loaded onto the aircraft, but none of these details have been officially confirmed.
On January 3, MNG said it had filed a criminal complaint against an employee who it alleged had acted alone in falsifying records for the two charter flights. In response to questions from AIN, MNG issued the following statement on Monday: “Following the filing of a criminal complaint by MNG Jet, against a former employee and against whoever cooperated on this illegal activity, the Turkish authorities have opened an official inquiry and have arrested the employee, as well as the four pilots. The two planes are being held in Istanbul by the police. The criminal investigation is ongoing. We are not authorized to comment on its developments, unfortunately. But we will keep on fighting for justice as we are a victim of this fraudulent scheme.”
Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reported on January 4 that Okan Kösemen, who it described as an operations manager with MNG Jet, was among the five people arrested by police on charges of migrant smuggling. According to this report, Kösemen has told investigators that an unnamed acquaintance from Beirut had pressured him into assisting in Ghosn’s escape. LinkedIn shows a profile for Okan Kösemen, in which he is described as MNG’s “operation and charter sales manager.”
On January 4, a Turkish interior ministry spokesman confirmed that police had detained seven people, including four pilots, two employees with an unnamed handling company, and an employee of a cargo company. The latest information from MNG suggests that the latter three may now have been released and that the arrest of a fifth MNG employee is a new development.
InterAviation Japan provides private aviation handling at five airports, including Tokyo Narita and Haneda; Kansai; Chitose; and Chubu. In a statement to AIN, the company said it had not had "any involvement with the unlawful activities." It said it provides "ground services" for aircraft operators, but does not own or manage the airport facilities used for private flights.
A spokesperson for InterAviation told AIN that the request to provide handling had not come directly from MNG, but from an unnamed "third-party trip coordinator" that it said had made the same request to several handling agents in Japan. The company said that it was able to obtain the required permit for the flight from Japanese authorities before the other handling agents.
"Aviation security checks are done by a contracted, licensed, and properly trained security company under the guidance from the airport authority, as well as the civil aviation bureau," said the statement from InterAviation. "We don't provide any security checks. Customs and immigration examine inbound and outbound passengers and their baggage, which is not the business of the handling agent."
A report by Reuters quoted an unnamed security guard at the Kansai airport private terminal reportedly used for Ghosn's flight from Japan, who commented on the process used for checking passengers. "I think I would recognize Ghosn if I took a good look at his face, but we don't really look at people's faces," he told the news agency. "It would be harder to spot him if he was wearing a disguise or was in a group."
As part of the probe into indicted auto executive Carlos Ghosn’s daring escape from Japan last month, Turkish police apparently continue to hold four pilots, named as Turkish nationals and including two identified as Noyan Pasin and Bahri Kutlu Somek. Also still being held is an employee of Turkish charter provider MNG Jet as part of the investigation into how two of the Istanbul-based operator’s aircraft were used by the automotive executive to escape from Japan to Lebanon. According to MNG, police also impounded the two aircraft used for flights from Osaka to Istanbul (a Bombardier Global 6000, tail number TC-TSR) and from Istanbul to Beirut (a Bombardier Challenger 300, tail number TC-RZA).
Meanwhile, Japanese justice minister Masako Mori announced an investigation into how Ghosn had been able to leave the country while subject to bail restrictions and having surrendered his three passports to police. At a press conference, she further said immigration procedures are likely to be tightened at Japanese airports.
Interpol issued a “red notice” to Lebanese police, asking them to arrest Ghosn, who was released on $8.9 million in bail in April 2019 and required by a Japanese court to remain in his Tokyo home. He holds French, Brazilian, and Lebanese citizenships, and had supposedly surrendered all his passports to Japanese police.
According to MNG Jet, its crew used InterAviation Japan to provide handling for the Global 6000 aircraft at Osaka Kansai International Airport. Japan’s NHK news outlet quoted unnamed aviation industry sources in reporting that two U.S. citizens were on board the flight, in addition to two Turkish pilots and a flight attendant. This report also said two large boxes designed to carry large audio equipment used by musicians were among the baggage loaded onto the aircraft, but none of these details have been officially confirmed.
On January 3, MNG said it had filed a criminal complaint against an employee who it alleged had acted alone in falsifying records for the two charter flights. In response to questions from AIN, MNG issued the following statement: “Following the filing of a criminal complaint by MNG Jet, against a former employee and against whoever cooperated on this illegal activity, the Turkish authorities have opened an official inquiry and have arrested the employee, as well as the four pilots. The two planes are being held in Istanbul by the police. The criminal investigation is ongoing. We are not authorized to comment on its developments, unfortunately. But we will keep on fighting for justice as we are a victim of this fraudulent scheme.”
Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reported on January 4 that Okan Kösemen, who it described as an operations manager with MNG Jet, was among the five people arrested by police on charges of migrant smuggling. According to this report, Kösemen has told investigators that an unnamed acquaintance from Beirut had pressured him into assisting in Ghosn’s escape. LinkedIn shows a profile for Okan Kösemen, in which he is described as MNG’s “operation and charter sales manager.”
On January 4, a Turkish interior ministry spokesman confirmed that police had detained seven people, including four pilots, two employees with an unnamed handling company, and an employee of a cargo company. The most recent information from MNG suggests that the latter three may have been released and that the arrest of a fifth MNG employee is a further development.
InterAviation Japan provides private aviation handling at five airports, including Tokyo Narita and Haneda; Kansai; Chitose; and Chubu. In a statement to AIN, the company said it had not had "any involvement with the unlawful activities." It said it provides "ground services" for aircraft operators, but does not own or manage the airport facilities used for private flights.
A spokesperson for InterAviation told AIN that the request to provide handling had not come directly from MNG, but from an unnamed "third-party trip coordinator" that it said had made the same request to several handling agents in Japan. The company said that it was able to obtain the required permit for the flight from Japanese authorities before the other handling agents.
"Aviation security checks are done by a contracted, licensed, and properly trained security company under the guidance from the airport authority, as well as the civil aviation bureau," said the statement from InterAviation. "We don't provide any security checks. Customs and immigration examine inbound and outbound passengers and their baggage, which is not the business of the handling agent."
According to MNG Jet general manager Can Sasmaz, the company “leased” the two aircraft to two different clients—one for a trip from Dubai to Osaka in Japan and then from Osaka to Istanbul, and the second for a flight from Istanbul to Beirut. A company spokesman confirmed to AIN that, as previously reported, the aircraft used for the flights were a Bombardier Global 6000 (tail number TC-TSR) and Bombardier Challenger 300 (TC-RZA).
MNG said that it does not own these aircraft but was operating them under a management contract. It stated that the two “leases” did not appear to be connected to each other and that Ghosn’s name did not appear in any official documentation associated with them. It subsequently clarified that the flights were conducted as charter bookings.
“After having learned through the media that the leasing was benefitting Mr. Ghosn and not the officially declared passengers, MNG Jet launched an internal inquiry and filed a criminal complaint in Turkey on Wednesday, 1 January 2020, to prosecute those who were involved,” Sasmaz said in the written statement. “One employee of the company, who is under investigation by the authorities, has admitted having falsified the records. He confirmed that he acted in his individual capacity, without the knowledge or the authorization of the management of MNG Jet. 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.”
In addition to aircraft management and charter, MNG also provides a wide range of maintenance services for business aircraft. The company is a member of the European Business Aviation Association.
The current ownership of the two aircraft used for Ghosn’s escape is unclear. The Global 6000 appears to have been formerly owned by the Qatar government’s Amiri Flight before it joined the Turkish aircraft register in 2018. The Challenger 300 entered the Turkish register in 2012 and was then shown to be owned by Turkish leasing group Halk Finansal Kiralama AS. According to MNG, both flights were handled at Ataturk Airport by Havas Celebi. MNG declined to comment to AIN on the current ownership of the aircraft. It also would not confirm how many passengers had been on the flights concerned, but did say that it has not previously provided any services to Ghosn.
Analysis of flights leaving Japan on the evening of December 29 highlighted the Bombardier Global Express TC-TSR departed Osaka Kansai Airport at 11:10 p.m. local time and arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport at 5:26 a.m. local time. At 6:30 a.m., Bombardier Challenger 300 TC-RZA departed Istanbul, arriving in Beirut at 6:14 a.m. local time. Japanese officials have indicated that Ghosn had not used any of his passports to leave the country.