The missing plane belonging to the Guptas has surfaced in Dubai, according to CorporateJetInvestor.com. The Bombardier Global 6000 was no longer visible on flight tracking websites, after bring spotted in Russia in February.
But the website now says it has information showing that the plane flew from Dubai South Airport to Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 3, and returned to Dubai South on Monday night.
The plane is at the centre of a dispute between Canada's state import/export bank, Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Guptas. EDC, which gave the Guptas a loan to buy the aircraft, has taken the Guptas to court, claiming they defaulted on the loan agreement. EDC wants the plan permanently grounded, fearing it could be used for unlawful means.
According to CorporateJetInvestor, the EDC claims in court papers that aircraft operator Execujet terminated its agreement with the Guptas in October 2017, claiming that it was suffering from the intense media scrutiny.
"Due to recent events, we are no longer able to continue rendering the services under the aforementioned agreements for fear of attracting immense negative publicity and reputational damage," Execujet reportedly told the EDC on October 5 last year.
According to the Weekend Argus, the EDC loaned the money to the Guptas because it wanted to help Bombardier Inc, the Canadian aerospace firm, land the sale. But the Guptas now owe the bank $27 million, of an initial loan of $41 million.
There is an arrest warrant out for Ajay Gupta, and TimesLive reported on Monday that arrest warrants have been issued for his brothers, Atul and Rajesh, too.
The EDC reportedly said in court papers that "there is a very real concern" that the plane will help the brothers evade justice.
The EDC's case is expected to be heard in the high court in Johannesburg on Tuesday, according to a report by the Washington Post.