The government of Sierra Leone through the Director of Public Prosecutor (DPP) has recommended that the crew at a recently arrested aircraft should be levied a fine of $100,000 United States Dollars.

Addressing journalists the minister of Information and Civic Education Chrenor Bah disclosed that the four accused have paid the $100,000 United States Dollars through their legal representatives to the Government Consolidated Fund on Monday, 14th October 2024.

He further explained that all four accused individuals connected to the matter would be released, and the fourteenth-seater aircraft is no longer in police custody.

Minister Bah disclosed that the actions that the government took regarding the fourteenth-seater aircraft are in conformity with international law.

He stated that the fourteenth-seater aircraft made an unauthorized landing at FIA, which means the Authorities at FIA did not permit it to land. He further that immediately after the fourteenth-seater aircraft landed, the airport authorities mobilized and started an investigation. He stated that four people were in the aircraft, three of them hold Mexican passports and one holds a Spanish passport.

He noted that they arrested all four individuals who were in the aircraft, including two local air traffic controllers, and they were brought to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to help the police with the investigation.

Minister Ceebah stated that, according to the police investigation, they searched the fourteenth-seater aircraft thoroughly and invited their counterparts from Ghana and Liberia to also conduct a thorough search of the aircraft. After conducting the search on the aircraft, Minister Ceebah revealed that they found nothing of police interest in the fourteenth-seater aircraft.