State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir has said he is waiting for the results of an investigation by the Finance Ministry’s Customs and Excise Directorate General to assess whether a reshuffle of the Garuda Indonesia board of directors is needed.
ollowing years of a sterling reputation and unparalleled prestige in the country’s airline industry, national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has now been made to face the cracks in its usually polished armor as the government and the public alike begin to scrutinize the airline after a string of managerial misfires over the past year.
In a year that will likely go down as one of the more memorable ones in the airline’s storied history, Garuda Indonesia has faced controversy on multiple fronts, with the latest being the alleged discovery of high-end contraband comprising several Harley Davidson spare parts and a Brompton folding bicycle on its new Airbus A330-900 aircraft upon its arrival in the country from France last month.
The discovery was especially troubling given that the aircraft was carrying a number of Garuda Indonesia executives and employees only, according to the flight manifest.
Read also: Precious cargo: Harley parts, Brompton bike smuggled on Garuda Indonesia flight from France
Garuda Indonesia spokesman M. Ikhsan Rosan later confirmed the existence of the illegal cargo, saying that the goods belonged to several airline employees on the flight and were currently being held by customs and excise officials.
Garuda Indonesia’s latest blunder proved serious enough for the government as State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati fast-tracked the investigation of the smuggling and planned to announce the findings in the near future.
“Pak Erick and Bu Sri will report the findings, but they have yet to settle on a date and time,” Customs and Excise Office spokesperson Deni Surjantoro told tempo.co.
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