Turkish jet company says rogue employee helped Carlos Ghosn flee Japan
By: Noah M.
A Turkish jet company has filed a criminal complaint against a rogue employee whom it accused of aiding ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn’s daring escape from Japan.
The worker at private plane operator MNG Jet admitted to falsifying records for two planes that apparently helped Ghosn get from Japan to Beirut this week, the company said Friday.
The employee “confirmed that he acted in his individual capacity, without the knowledge or the authorization of the management of MNG Jet,” the company said in a statement.
The criminal complaint, filed with Turkish authorities Wednesday, targets the worker along with anyone who acted illegally and harmed the company, an MNG Jet representative said.
MNG Jet’s statement provided more details about how Ghosn made his cinematic escape from Japan, where he was facing a trial for alleged financial crimes.
The company said it leased two private jets last month to two separate clients, one heading from Dubai to Istanbul via Osaka, and another bound for Beirut from Istanbul. Ghosn’s name did not appear in official documents for any of the flights, and the leases did not seem connected to each other, according to the statement.
Ghosn boarded his flight from near Osaka to Istanbul inside a big black container usually used to carry audio equipment, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Reports earlier this week out of Lebanon said the former Nissan chairman was carted out in a musical instrument case by a group of mercenaries in a Hollywood-style plot allegedly orchestrated by his wife from the US.
Adding to the mystery, surveillance footage from his Tokyo home showed him leaving the residence alone Sunday just before his escape, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
MNG launched an internal probe of Ghosn’s involvement after learning from media reports that the leases aided his escape, the company said, adding that authorities are investigating the unnamed employee who allegedly falsified the records.
The firm brought its complaint in Turkey “to prosecute those who were involved,” its statement said. It’s not clear that anyone has yet been charged, however.
“MNG Jet is pro-actively 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,” the company said.
Turkish authorities reportedly detained seven people Thursday as they investigate Ghosn’s escape. Interpol has also issued an arrest warrant for Ghosn to authorities in Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.
