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Sacked Garuda boss Ari Askhara could face criminal charges, says SOE Minister Erick

06 December 2019 11:04

JAKARTA - SOE Minister Erick Thohir has stressed that recently dismissed PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (GIAA) CEO Ari Askhara could face criminal charges for his involvement in a smuggling scandal.

“The state suffered a loss [from the scandal], and as such this matter will be handled as a criminal case,” Mr Thohir told Bisnis.com at the Ministry of Finance, Thursday (5/12).

At a press conference on Thursday, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated that the loss suffered by the state as a result of the scandal could amount to Rp 532 million to Rp 1.5 billion.

The investigation, said Mr Thohir, has been turned over to the Directorate-General of Customs and Excise and the Ministry of Finance, while Mr Askhara’s dismissal will be officially processed through an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (EGM).

“We will appoint an acting CEO as soon as possible,” said Mr Thohir.

Mr Askhara has been dismissed from his position as Garuda CEO after the discovery of his involvement in the smuggling of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and two Brompton folding bikes on board an Airbus A330-900 aircraft newly flown in by the flag carrier from Toulouse, France.

Previously, Garuda had claimed that the smuggled luxurious goods were owned by an employee on board the ferry flight. However, an Audit Committee formed to investigate the case found that the goods belonged to Mr Askhara.

In 2018, Mr Askhara ordered an individual to search for a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Shovelhead motorcycle. The rare motorcycle was eventually purchased in April 2019 with payment made to the personal bank account of Garuda’s Finance Manager in Amsterdam, Netherlands known as IJ. (MS)

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