Muhammad Al-Ahmadi Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Saudi Embassy in Jakarta has told Indonesian authorities that they are violating their own laws by keeping Omar Miski, a Saudi investor, in jail for over two weeks. Miski was involved in a business case with Lion Air Company after the latter claimed that he did not pay back the loan he took from the company. Miski said he signed an agreement with the company to organize flights for Umrah performers and pilgrims between Indonesia and Jeddah and paid $7 million to charter two airplanes. A delegation from the embassy visited Miski Monday at the prison. Miski said he objected to the decision to put him in prison through his lawyer and the letter was sent to the Saudi Embassy. Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Mustafa Al-Mubarak said the company wants Miski to pay back the $1.5 million. This is a business case that has nothing to do with money laundering as some Indonesian newspapers have claimed, Al-Mubarak added. He said: “We're standing by the Saudi citizen and appointed a lawyer for him and we'll leave no stone unturned until the citizen gets acquitted of the charges.” Miski told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the Lion Air Company approached him four years ago and offered that he signs an agreement with it to organize flights between Jeddah and Indonesia for Umrah pilgrims. Miski contacted the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) for a permit and eventually signed an agreement with the company in June 2009. According to the agreement, Miski was supposed to pay for two chartered Boeing 747 airplanes, each with a capacity of 506 passengers. He said he paid $4 million for both chartered airplanes and the company, according to the agreement, was supposed to pay the remaining installments from ticket sales and become the sole owner of both airplanes, which cost $28 million. Miski said the company started selling tickets since 2010. “The agreement stipulated that the company should pay off all installments and give me profits of $500,000 to $600,000 a week. But it did not pay a single dollar for three months.” Miski said he also paid the company $3 million to cover the insurance of the airplanes. The company kept putting him off from one month to another. Fed up, he went to the Saudi Embassy in Jakarta. The Saudi ambassador contacted the company and told them if Miski's statements and accusations were true, the embassy would take necessary measures against the company and prevent it from landing in Jeddah. The company's board of directors sought more time. Then the ambassador filed a complaint with the Indonesian Ministry of Civil Aviation. When the Indonesian minister summoned the company's chairman the company again sought more time. At this point, Miski said the company's chairman offered to pay him $1.5 million as initial payment while the remaining amount, $5.5 million, would be paid back in installments. Miski said there was a condition for this offer in that he should drop his claims against the company. Miski agreed to receive the first installment but did not agree to drop the case until the company demonstrated that it intended to pay back all the money.
