The decision was made by Transjakarta shareholders outside of a shareholder meeting (RUPS), according to an official statement. The company is 99.66 percent owned by the city administration and 0.34 percent by city-owned developer PT Jakarta Propertindo.

Donny, the deputy head of Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) for 2017-2022, was appointed to replace Agung Wicaksono, who officially resigned on Thursday to spend more time with his family.

“[Shareholders] revoked the appointment as Donny Saragih has been found to have lied in his own interests during the selection process,” the city-owned company supervisory board (BP BUMD) head Faisal Syafruddin said in a written statement. He added, the office received a report on Donny’s legal status on Saturday.

Transjakarta shareholders appointed the company’s technical and facilities director, Yoga Adiwinarto, as acting president director on Monday.

Yoga, however, declined to comment on his appointment as the firm's acting head.

Donny initially passed the competence and expertise test stipulated in Government Regulation No. 54/2017 on regional-owned enterprises and Jakarta Gubernatorial Regulation No. 5/2018 on the selection of city-owned company officials. He also signed a statement letter on "legal compliance".

His past criminal case was revealed when the Greater Jakarta Ombudsman received a tip-off and conducted a background check on Donny’s criminal record. It also suspected maladministration in Donny's appointment.

Citing the 2018 gubernatorial regulation, Greater Jakarta Ombudsman head Teguh Nugroho said that candidates for city-owned company director posts must not have been convicted of any crime in the previous five years.

The case began when prosecutor Priyo W., on behalf of transportation company PT Lorena Transport president director Gusti Terkelin Soerbakti, filed a lawsuit in 2018 with the Central Jakarta District Court against Donny and another Lorena employee Porman “Andi” Tambunan, alleging fraud.

According to the copy of the court ruling, Donny and Andi cooperated to blackmail Soerbekti demanding a total of US$250,000. They pretended to be officials from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) who threatened to reveal wrongdoings at the company. Soerbekti paid the money in installments.

Donny and Andi were charged under articles 378, 55 and 64 of the Criminal Code for fraud. The court found the pair guilty on Aug. 15, 2018, and sentenced them each to one year’s imprisonment and ordered them to remain in the city.

Prosecutors subsequently filed an appeal, which the high court granted on Oct. 12 of the same year. The court also requested that the two be detained.

Donny and Andi then filed a cassation to the Supreme Court, but it was rejected in a ruling dated Feb. 12, 2019, and the pair’s prison sentences were increased to two years each.

Speaking about his appointment, Donny insisted there was no legal violation by the city administration or himself. He went on to say that the cancellation of his appointment was more of an ethical matter.

 “The administration did nothing wrong during the selection process. It [the cancellation] is more about ethics, as I believed there are people who don't like me,” he said.

Despite the cancellation of the appointment, Teguh said the Ombudsman would continue its attempt to summon officials from BP BUMD to probe whether there had been maladministration in the appointment process.

“We want to know the real process up to the said person being appointed as Transjakarta president director. We will submit corrective measures to the city administration to prevent a recurrence,” Teguh said.

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