U.S. Business Jet Pilots Seek Release from Guinea Jail

Lawyers for two U.S. pilots jailed in Guinea have appealed to the West African country’s supreme court in a bid to get them released. Scott Schlenker and Fabio Nunez have been in detention since December 29 after landing their Gulfstream IV in the capital Conakry for a refueling stop between Suriname and Dubai.

Local law firm Jocamey Avocats confirmed to AIN that it is representing the pilots. It said that it is pursuing a “decisive” ruling from Guinea’s supreme court.

According to local media reports, the GIV was carrying a Brazilian family, including two children, when it landed at Conakry Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport (GUCY) for a tech stop. Officials arrested the pilots for allegedly landing without authorization and violating the country’s airspace.

Jocamey Avocats told AIN it will seek the pilots’ consent to release more details about the case. It remains unclear what happened to the aircraft and passengers.

Nunez’s fiancée, Lauren Stevenson, told the New York Post that the pilots were kept in jail even after an earlier appellate court ruled that they should be released on bail. She alleged that Guinea’s military intervened in the case and said the charges against the pair are unfounded.

The U.S. State Department has not commented on the fate of the two men. Reportedly, Nunez is from Ewing, New Jersey, and Schlenker resides in Chicago.