Antananarivo's Anti-Corruption Unit (PAC) announces the start of proceedings in the Boeing 777 affair. It has released a list of thirty-three individuals and legal entities facing charges.
Thirty-three. That is the number of defendants in the case involving five Boeing 777-200 aircraft, who will appear before the Anti-Corruption Unit (PAC) starting today. More than a year after the scandal, this judicial entity announces the beginning of the trial, accompanied by a list of the names of the accused individuals and organizations.
The list includes businessman Mamy Ravatomanga, currently in preventive detention in Mauritius; Valery Ramonjavelo, former Minister of Transport and Meteorology, held in preventive detention at Imerintsiatosika prison since March; and retired General Richard Ravalomanana, former Senate president. Ravalomanana was recently found guilty of complicity in murder and voluntary assault during September and October 2025 protests, resulting in a ten-year hard labor sentence.
As institutional heads and ministers at the time of the facts, Richard Ravalomanana and Valery Ramonjavelo can be tried before the PAC under a Constitutional Court decision from March. According to the Ambohidahy institution, "acts of corruption and related offenses that may be committed by a high-ranking official cannot be considered as acts related to the exercise of their functions." In other words, high-ranking state officials accused of corruption can be tried before ordinary courts.
The presence of the former Senate president on the accused list raises questions. It may be explained by the fact that Singh Khushwinder, one of the main accused, served in his cabinet as a "volunteer advisor" when he presided over the Anosy institution. His name appears at the top of the PAC's list of defendants. Also listed is Rijasoa Andriamanarivo, reportedly Khushwinder's associate. Through a shell company, these two alleged promoters allegedly orchestrated the illicit delivery of aircraft to Iran.
The delivery of five Boeing 777-200 aircraft to Iran, revealed by foreign media in July 2025, triggered this judicial proceeding. The case gained international scope given that Iran is under international embargo. It became a state affair and forced the two heads of the Executive at the time to take action. Claiming he acted unilaterally without prior consultation with the Presidency and Prime Minister's office, former Minister Ramonjavelo was dismissed days after the scandal's revelation. Behind the scenes, some suggested businessman Ravatomanga was orchestrating the transactions.
Testimonies during the public trial should provide more clarity on each person's involvement. The affair's origins trace back to November, when one of the alleged promoters reportedly expressed a foreign investor's interest in Madagascar Airlines. The partnership was to strengthen the airline's fleet through delivery of five Boeing 777-200 aircraft by a company based in India with a fictitious subsidiary in Antananarivo. The aircraft obtained provisional registrations and temporary airworthiness certificates.
These documents were to allow their transport to an approved maintenance facility in Kenya, then to Madagascar once technical certification was obtained. Their validity expired on April 17 and 21, 2025 respectively. In response to inquiries, Colonel Gervais Damasy, former director general of Madagascar's Civil Aviation Authority (ACM), stated these registration documents were issued "on instruction" from former Minister Ramonjavelo. In July 2025, using these expired provisional documents, the five Boeing aircraft departed Cambodia for Iran.
Colonel Damasy, also among the accused, will have the opportunity to explain further. Other former ACM officials, associates, alleged accomplices of the pseudo-promoters, and employees of companies involved in the affair are also defendants.