Twenty-two people, including senior civil aviation officials and company executives, have been placed in pre-trial detention in connection with the scandal of five B777-200ERs that were provisionally registered in Madagascar before they were ferried to Iran.
Those charged at a hearing on August 23 face accusations ranging from corruption, forgery, and money laundering to conspiracy, abuse of power, and endangering state security, according to a statement issued by Madagascar anti-corruption watchdog (Direction de Coordination Nationale - DCN) and Antananarivo anti-corruption unit (Pôle Anti-Corruption - PAC).
Among those charged are executives of the Malagasy civil aviation authority (L’Aviation Civile de Madagascar - ACM) and Indian nationals linked to Udaan Aviation, identified as a key intermediary in the aircraft transfers. The accused have been distributed across several prisons near Antananarivo. Nine more suspects remain at large.
According to the PAC, 33 individuals and entities are implicated in the case of the five B777s that were provisionally registered in Madagascar before flying from Siem Reap New Angkor International in Cambodia to various locations in Iran on July 15, destined for Mahan Air (W5, Tehran Mehrabad), in an operation intended to circumvent international sanctions.
The case is now pending before the senior investigating judge of the PAC, who is continuing his probes.
According to news reports from L'Express de Madagascar and Midi Madagasikara, the anti-corruption unit said the investigation had involved witness interviews, document checks, and assistance from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Former Transport Minister Valéry Ramonjavelo is also under scrutiny, but his case falls under the Madagascar High Court of Justice and requires parliamentary authorisation for prosecution. He was fired on July 29.
The government has described the discovery of the planes in Iran as a major embarrassment, saying forged documents fraudulently extended the jets’ registrations. Prosecutors stressed that neither President Andry Rajoelina nor his family is implicated in the affair.
The aircraft held the temporary Malagasy registrations 5R-RIS (msn 32334), 5R-ISA (msn 30866), 5R-HER (msn 28522), 5R-IJA (msn 28527), and 5R-RIJ (msn 33369).
