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Sri Mulyani defends privilege to access Soekarno-Hatta tarmac
Speaking during a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission XI, which oversees finance and banking on Monday, Sri Mulyani, who has been in the spotlight following revelations about the lavish lifestyles of some tax office personnel, said that she was entitled to that privilege since it allowed her to conduct a direct inspection of the airport's customs and excise office.
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Finance Minister Sri Mulyani gives a statement concerning the judicial review of Law No. 11/2016 on tax amnesty at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta on Sept. 20, 2016. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
F
inance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has rejected suggestions that she had committed wrongdoing by allowing her official vehicle to be driven on the tarmac of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Speaking during a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission XI, which oversees finance and banking on Monday, Sri Mulyani, who has been in the spotlight following revelations about the lavish lifestyles of some tax office personnel, said that she was entitled to that privilege since it allowed her to conduct a direct inspection of the airport's customs and excise office.
"Other officials don't do this because they have their own assigned parking space. For me, since the customs office is under my authority, the privilege allows me to check and have discussions with the heads of the office, to listen to what they have been doing," Sri Mulyani told the lawmakers.
A photo of an Alphard SUV being parked on the apron of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport made the rounds on social media over the weekend after being posted by NasDem Party politician Peter Gontha.
Some internet sleuths later found out that the SUV was the official car of Sri Mulyani herself.
Social media was abuzz with suggestions that the finance minister had flouted the rules applied by Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and that she should be treated equally when it came to access at the airport.
Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, which managed Soekarno-Hatta, said that Sri Mulyani violated no protocols and she was in fact entitled to the privilege.
