A Turkish airline company says its jets were used illegally in Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Japan.

Istanbul-based MNG Jet said an employee falsified records and Ghosn’s name did not appear on any documentation related to the flights.

Ghosn earlier this week jumped bail in Japan and fled to Lebanon rather than face trial on financial misconduct charges in a dramatic escape that has confounded and embarrassed authorities.

How he was able to flee Japan, avoiding the tight surveillance he was under while free on 1.5 billion yen (£10 million) bail, is still a mystery, although Lebanese authorities have said he entered the country legally on a French passport.

His daring escape spanned three continents and involved private planes, multiple passports and international intrigue.

Turkish police escort suspects accused of involvement in Ghosn's passage through Istanbul
Turkish police escort suspects accused of involvement in Ghosn’s passage through Istanbul (Ugur Can/DHA/AP)

Turkey detained seven people on Thursday as part of an investigation into how he passed through the country, and they are appearing in court later. The private DHA news agency reported that those detained were four pilots, a cargo company manager and two airport workers.

Also on Friday, Istanbul-based MNG Jet said it had filed a criminal complaint in Turkey concerning the illegal use of its jet charter services.

It did not say who the complaint was against, but said one company employee, who was under investigation by Turkish authorities, admitted to falsifying records and “confirmed that he acted in his individual capacity” without MNG Jet’s knowledge.

The company said it had leased one private jet from Dubai to Osaka in Japan, and Osaka to Istanbul, and another from Istanbul to Beirut.

Lebanon Ghosn
Private security guards at the home of Carlos Ghosn in Beirut (Maya Alleruzzo/AP)

“The two leases were seemingly not connected to each other. The name of Mr Ghosn did not appear in the official documentation of any of the flights,” MNG Jet said in a statement. The statement did not say who the jets were leased to.

On Thursday, Interpol issued a wanted notice for Ghosn. Lebanese justice minister Albert Serhan said Lebanon “will carry out its duties”, suggesting for the first time that the motor executive may be brought in for questioning. But he said Ghosn entered the country on a legal passport, and he appeared to cast doubt on the possibility that Lebanon would hand Ghosn over to Japan.

Shortly after the Interpol notice, Ghosn issued a statement seeking to distance his Lebanese wife and family from any role in his escape.

“The allegations in the media that my wife Carole and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan are false and misleading. I alone organised my departure. My family played no role,” he said.

Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, was set to go on trial in Japan in April. He said he fled to avoid “political persecution” by a “rigged Japanese justice system”.

His lawyer in France, Francois Zimeray, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV that he had been in frequent contact with Ghosn since he arrived in Lebanon, and his client appeared to be filled with “a fighting spirit”, and was eager to start clearing his name.

Ghosn, who grew up in Beirut, is a national hero to many in Lebanon with close ties to senior politicians and business stakes in a number of companies.

He is charged in Japan with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust. He has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan and Renault.