Going, Ghosn, gone: Turkey's MNG says ex-Nissan boss used its jet illegally

Turkish private aircraft operator MNG Jet said on Friday that its planes were used illegally in the escape from Japan of ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, adding it had filed a criminal complaint.

Ghosn has become an international fugitive after he revealed on Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape what he called a "rigged" justice system in Japan, where he faces charges relating to alleged financial crimes.

"In December 2019, MNG Jet leased two separate private jets to two different clients," the company said adding that one of the company's employees had admitted falsifying records by not including Ghosn's name in the official documentation.

"One private jet from Dubai to Osaka and Osaka to Istanbul, and another private jet from Istanbul to Beirut. The two leases were seemingly not connected to each other," the statement said.

On Thursday, Turkish police detained seven people, including four pilots, as part of an investigation into Ghosn's passage through the country. The detainees were sent to court on Friday after giving statements to police on the incident.

Ghosn, who faced multiple charges of financial misconduct that he denies, won bail in April but with strict conditions – including a ban on overseas travel and living under surveillance.

But the executive, who has French, Brazilian and Lebanese nationalities, managed to slip out of Japan on Sunday despite having handed over his three passports to his lawyers.