U.K. Firm Fined for Illegal Aircraft Sale to Iran; Armenian Firm Involved
[ 2010/02/06 | 12:07 ]Balli Aviation Ltd, a subsidiary of the UK-based Balli Group, has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting a Boeing 747 aircraft to Iran. A Washington D.C. district court has slapped the company with a $2 million criminal fine and a $15 million civil settlement.
Blue Airways, a ghost company, registered in Armenia had been sanctioned by the U.S. Justice Department as being a conduit for the illegal sale dating back several years.
According to information filed with the court, Balli Aviation Ltd. from 2005 to 2008 conspired to export three Boeing 747 aircraft from the United States to Iran. Using its subsidiaries, the Blue Sky Companies, Balli Aviation purchased U.S.-origin aircraft with financing obtained from an Iranian airline and caused these aircraft to be exported to Iran, via what appears to be a cut-out entity, Blue Airways, registered in Armenia.
The case dates back to March 2008, when the United States suspended export privileges of Balli Group, Armenia-based Blue Airways and Mahan Airways in Iran for unauthorized re-exports of aircraft to Iran.
