Air Force Chief Staff Investigates AW-101 Helicopter Purchase
7 February 2017 19:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto promised that he would conduct an investigation into the procurement of the AgustaWestland AW-101 helicopter. Hadi said that he will report his investigation plans directly to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the Presidential Palace.
"I will report to President Jokowi that I will investigate the procurement of the AW-101. I was accompanied by Finance Ministry's directorate general of budget and Defense Ministry staff," Hadi said on Tuesday, February 7, 2017.
The procurement of the AW-101 helicopter sparked controversy because it took place after President Jokowi rejected the plans twice. The first rejection happened when three AW-101 units were bought for VVIP use with a Rp 761.2 billion price tag.
Meanwhile, the second rejection took place when the Indonesian Air Forces submitted a letter of purchase of one AW-101 unit to the Defense Ministry on July, 2016, for military cargo transport purposes. Despite the rejection, the purchase continues to take place.
ISTMAN M.P.
