Madagascar Tycoon Accused of Using Fake Registrations to Ship Boeing 777s to Iran
Mamy Ravatomanga, a leading Malagasy businessman, is on trial for allegedly using temporary Madagascar aircraft registrations to move five Boeing 777 jets to Iran, bypassing U.S. sanctions.
A court in Antananarivo has begun hearing a high-profile corruption case against Mamy Ravatomanga, a prominent Malagasy entrepreneur linked to former president Andry Rajoelina. Prosecutors allege that five Boeing 777 aircraft were temporarily registered in Madagascar to evade U.S. sanctions before being handed to Iran’s Mahan Air in July 2025. An indictment states that Ravatomanga received five million euros for the operation, a claim disputed by his lawyers who point to inconsistent figures.
The investigation, conducted jointly by the FBI and Mauritius’s Financial Crimes Commission, includes witness statements, digital evidence and recordings, and cites a meeting at the Novotel hotel attended by former transport minister Valery Ramonjavelo, civil aviation chief Gervais Damasy, Singh Khushwinder and Iranian executive Hamid Arabnejad. All five jets, originally bought by Singapore Airlines and later owned by Florida-based Ion Aviation, are now listed under Mahan Air, with two already sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury. Ravatomanga remains detained in Mauritius, where courts have denied bail, citing flight-risk concerns.
Why it matters
The case shows how illicit aircraft registrations can help evade sanctions and reveal corruption links between African elites and Iran.
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