A private jet at the centre of a mysterious fake gold smuggling case belongs to a well-connected Egyptian tycoon, Ibrahim Al Organi, Sky News can reveal.
Last August, authorities in Zambia raided a private jet, which had landed at the African country’s largest airport after flying more than 3,000 miles from Cairo.
Acting on a tip, Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) found $5.7m in cash, five pistols and 127kg of what appeared to be gold.
Zambian authorities later tested the pieces and discovered they were mostly made up of copper and zinc.
“This has been a clear case of scamming, gold scamming,” said DEC director Nason Banda at a news conference after the operation.
Zambian authorities seized the jet and detained 10 people on board, including six Egyptian nationals. For almost a year, however, the owner of the jet has remained a mystery.
Documents obtained by Sky News, in collaboration with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), show that the plane is owned by prominent Egyptian businessman Ibrahim Al Organi.
In an affidavit filed to Zambia’s High Court in December, Al Organi identified himself as the owner of the aircraft.
Who is Al Organi?
The Egyptian businessman is chairman of the Organi Group, a sprawling network of companies in construction, real estate, travel, and security. In January 2023, Al Organi became an official sponsor of Al Ahly, the most successful football team in Africa.
Al Organi’s affidavit, submitted in a bid to regain possession of the aircraft, says he is the “sole director” of the company World Aviation Sinai International Mountain Limited, which is registered with the aviation authority in San Marino, a tiny landlocked country surrounded by Italy.