A Nicaragua-bound flight carrying over 300 Indian passengers was grounded in France over suspected human trafficking.
It's being revealed that the French authorities have grounded the flight from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua after receiving a tip that it could be carrying victims of human trafficking, on Friday, December 22.
The flight, originating from the UAE, was due for refueling at Paris Vatry Chalons Airport (XCR) in France. Special investigators are now questioning all the occupants , and two people are in custody pending further examination, the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
It said an anonymous tip signaled that the flight, operated by Romania-based charter company Legend Airlines, was carrying people who could be victims of human trafficking.
The passengers and crew are sequestered in the small Vatry airport, where they will spend a second night Friday on camp cots while the investigation continues, according to an official with the Marne regional administration.
They initially remained in the A340 plane, surrounded by police on the tarmac, but were then transferred into the main hall of the airport to sleep Thursday night, the official said.
The investigation was entrusted to the National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organized Crime. The National Directorate of Border Police, the Air Transport Gendarmerie and the Vitry-le-François search brigade were jointly seized. Human trafficking is punishable by 20 years of criminal imprisonment and a fine of 3 million euros.
The Indian Embassy in France posted on X that embassy staff had obtained consular access to the passengers.
"We are investigating the situation and ensuring the well-being of passengers.''
Legend Airlines did not respond to requests for comment. Liliana Bakayoko, identified as a Legend Airlines lawyer, said on France's BFM TV that the company denies any role in eventual human trafficking.
She said a customer, whom she wouldn't identify, chartered the plane and was responsible for verifying the identity documents of each passenger. The customer communicated the passenger information to the airline 48 hours before the flight, she said.
“We hope to leave very quickly with passengers who are not concerned” by the suspicions, the lawyer for the airline Legend Airlines told franceinfo. “Nothing can be blamed on the company” which has neither the “possibility” nor the “right” to “check the criminal records of people who board ,” she says.
"The contract for this "charter flight with passengers of all kinds, (...) provides that it is the partner who has the obligation to carry out the checks" , according to the lawyer, who deplores " commercial damage (.. .) considerable".
