AirAsia India denies wrongdoing; will continue to cooperate with regulatory agencies

Budget passenger carrier AirAsia India (AAIL) on Tuesday refuted allegations against it in connection with an alleged bribery case to get FDI rules tweaked.

According to the airline, it continues to cooperate with all regulatory agencies "to present the correct facts and hopes to bring early resolution to issues under investigations".

The development comes after CBI on May 28 filed a FIR against company's Director R. Venkataramanan, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, Deputy CEO T. Kanagalingam alias Bo Lingam, the then Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), and also some "unknown public servants" of the Civil Aviation Ministry.

"The investigations pertain to, inter alia, the interactions of AAIL with government authorities. All such interactions were conducted in a transparent manner and AAIL has not engaged in any wrong doing in relation thereto. Consequently, AAIL refutes all such allegations made against it in the FIR," the airline said in a statement.

"AAIL reviews its internal controls and process on a continuous basis to strengthen its operations."

As per the statement: "No findings have been made against the Directors of AAIL and furthermore audits and forensic reports have not indicated any impropriety against any of the Directors of AAIL including R. Venkataramanan (Non-Executive Director, AAIL)."

The airline said that in April 2016, the company's Board was seized of some inappropriate and questionable actions by the erstwhile CEO of AAIL.

"AAIL appointed Deloitte India to examine such issues and based on the report of Deloitte India, AAIL filed criminal charges against its former CEO," the statement said.

The budget airline also instituted a civil suit in June 2017 against its former CEO in the Civil Courts in Bangalore.

"Based on a prima facie case, the court attached certain properties of the former CEO," the statement added.

"The foregoing establishes that it was AAIL that had taken necessary steps to take legal action to remedy the wrongful actions including booking personal expenses on the company account by its former CEO."

--IANS

rv/vm