KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia’s colourful chief executive Tony Fernandes has stepped aside from the company while authorities probe unusual payments at the Malaysian carrier, as the fallout from a $4 billion bribery fine at Airbus reverberates across the industry.
The shock decision came after Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) released details of a probe that found individuals associated with the planemaker had paid to secure deals with AirAsia and its long-haul unit AirAsia X.
Fernandes and executive chairman Kamarudin Meranun said in a statement late Monday: “We are relinquishing our executive roles with immediate effect for a period of two months, or such other period that the companies may deem fit.”
