AirAsia Group refutes allegations against Fernandes

AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes: "And finally we will get into the money lending business."

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Group Bhd (AAGB) has refuted allegations contained in a report to India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the group, its group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and deputy group CEO Bo Lingam.

The low-cost carrier said on Tuesday the allegations in the first information report (FIR), which was also against AirAsia Bhd and AirAsia India Pte Ltd, was based on information from an unnamed “reliable source.”  The allegations were carried in the media in India.

In a strong-worded statement issued via Bursa Malaysia, the board of directors of AAGB “refutes strongly all the allegations made in the FIR as baseless, unsupported and unjustified and will vigorously challenge these allegations". 

“We question the motives of the unnamed person, persons or organisation that lodged this FIR but we will co-operate fully with the Indian authorities in accordance with due process provided in law,” it said.

AAGB said an FIR is a written document prepared by police organisations in India when they receive information about the commission of a cognisable offence. 

It pointed out that “anyone can make such a report either orally or in writing to the police and investigations by police begin after an FIR is recorded”. 

Once an FIR is registered, police are duty-bound to investigate the case, record statements of all witnesses, and file a final report. 

If the police eventually conclude that there is no basis for the complaint or no evidence available to prosecute the case, further action is dropped, said AAGB.

 Details of allegations