PIA plane ‘taken’ to
Germany by former CEO sold for $1.4m, SC told
Statesman Report
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines airplane, an Airbus-310, which was allegedly taken to Germany by its former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernd Hildenbrand, was sold in $1.4 million, the national flag-carrier stated in its response in the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.
“The plane was not missing but sold as it completed its tenure in 2016,” the PIA’s response submitted in the apex court stated.
The response was submitted during the hearing of an appeal moved by Air Marshal Arshad Malik against the Sindh High Court (SHC) order which had restrained him from carrying out any function as CEO of PIA.
The petitioner had contended before the high court that Arshad Malik was a serving officer of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and his appointment as PIA chief was made in utter disregard of law laid down by the apex court in its judgment of Aug 3, 2018, against the appointment of the then CEO.
Reportedly, a British company had chartered PIA’s Airbus A-310 in 2017 for the purposes of a film, which was shot in Malta, following which the aircraft flew to Germany and then sold for Rs190 million. The film company had also paid PIA over $200,000 as rent for the plane.