Turkish Court Sentences Pilot Who Aided Former Nissan Chairman's Escape to Prison

Three Officials Sentenced to 4 Years and 2 Months in Prison

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] A Turkish court sentenced three individuals, including the pilots who helped former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn escape to Japan, to prison terms.

According to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency on the 24th (local time), the Turkish court sentenced two pilots and one MNG Airlines official, all charged with assisting Ghosn's escape to Japan, to four years and two months in prison each. However, two other pilots on trial for the same charges and two crew members accused of aiding the escape were acquitted.

Former chairman Ghosn was indicted and detained by the Tokyo prosecutors in 2018 on charges including false statements in securities reports and special breach of trust. In 2019, while under house arrest awaiting trial, he secretly left Japan through Osaka Kansai Airport, fled to Istanbul, Turkey, and then traveled to Beirut, Lebanon on another plane.

At that time, Ghosn reportedly exploited security loopholes at Kansai Airport to escape Japan. For private jets, baggage inspections are often skipped based on the pilot's discretion. He hid inside a musical instrument case to pass through airport security and escape Japan.

MNG Airlines acknowledged that two of its aircraft were used in Ghosn's escape but claimed that its employees manipulated flight records, making it impossible to detect Ghosn's escape in advance.

Meanwhile, Ghosn, a Lebanese-French national, led Nissan for the past 20 years. After fleeing to Lebanon, he explained the reason for his escape, stating that "the Japanese side conducted an unfair trial and did not fully guarantee my right to defense."

Al Jazeera reported that "since there is no extradition treaty between Lebanon and Japan, the possibility of Ghosn being extradited to Japan is very low."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.