Director suspended, regular flights resume<\/p>\n
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau<\/p>\n
Bowing to pressure from striking workers, PT Riau Airlines (RAL)
\nsuspended president director Yunus Bachri while prosecutors
\nopened an investigation into graft allegations against him.<\/p>\n
The decision prompted striking employees, including all 11 RAL
\npilots, to return to work on Wednesday, meaning regular flights
\nresumed a day after being canceled because of the strike.<\/p>\n
Kapitra Ampera, a lawyer for PT RAL's Workers Communication
\nForum, said the suspension of Yunus was agreed to at 11 p.m. on
\nTuesday by the company's board of commissioners.<\/p>\n
"We received a copy of the decision suspending the RAL
\ndirector and the workers were informed of this decision, so they
\nreturned to work," Kapitra said.<\/p>\n
He said the company's operations would be overseen by the
\ncommissioners until a new president director was appointed within
\nthe next 30 days.<\/p>\n
Eleven pilots, dozens of flight attendants and other airline
\nemployees went on strike on Tuesday, demanding that Yunus be
\nfired for corruption and incompetence.<\/p>\n
The workers also asked the Riau Prosecutor's Office to
\nquestion Yunus over the alleged embezzlement of about Rp 1.1
\nbillion (US$129.4 million) of the fledging airline's operational
\nfunds.<\/p>\n
In response, the prosecutor's office set up a team to open an
\ninvestigation into the case.<\/p>\n
"We received a complaint from the workers about the
\nembezzlement of Rp 1.1 billion from the company by Yunus Bachri
\nand we responded to it," said prosecutor Dimpuan Sialagan, who
\nheads the team.<\/p>\n
He said the team had questioned three people from the airline
\n-- copilot Windy Yusnidar Natsir, finance manager Rivai and labor
\nleader Sogi Prakoso.<\/p>\n
The workers accused Yunus of transferring Rp 1.1 billion from
\nthe company to his personal account, and also of marking up his
\nexpenses as company director.<\/p>\n
The workers also accused Yunus of failing to explore business
\nopportunities that could have benefited the one-year-old airline.<\/p>",
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