Investigations reveal AirAsia executives had apprised Tatas of lapses in the airline
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AirAsia executives highlighted few complaints, saying AirAsia was being "run" by Malaysian parent AirAsia Bhd, in contravention of FDI rules, and that the Indian venture was being "overcharged" by the Malaysian company.
According to Indian rules, foreign airlines can only own up to 49% in domestic airlines but effective management control must remain with the Indian partner.
As per reports, AirAsia India executives had warned board chairman Ramadorai and director
"A thorough investigation was sought. The details of fraudulent transactions were discovered through an audit. It was taken to its logical conclusion and an FIR was filed against the resistance that has been discussed in the media in recent days," ET quoted a source as saying.
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"We have been mandated to use AGSS for outsourcing aspects of finance and accounting, HR functions, procurement and IT," Gopalan wrote in a mail to AirAsia Global Shared Services (AGSS). He also wrote that AGSS has exceeded the amount as compared to what it would have been of they were to inhouse the entire operation. There was also a warning that using Tune
The issue of selecting an advertising company was also brought to light. "We have decided not to go with PHAR, which is an AA (AirAsia) Group Company. This could lead to lesser rates as well," Gopalan noted.
Another issue discussed in the mail was related to authority over clearing payments and expenses. Companies typically assign the responsibility of approving payments over a specified limit to the board and payments related to the day to day expenses to the management but according to a person familiar with the process, in AirAsia India, day to day approvals on key payments, travel, initial offer letters to employees etc came from Fernandes.
"This process was followed because the authority of this director (Fernandes) was agreed by the board. Every agreement and contract that AirAsia India executed with an Indian or foreign agency and related party followed exactly the same process," he told ET.
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Another person familiar with the operations of the airlines told ET that only capital expenditure is approved by the board.Gopalan and several colleagues - such as
Gopalan also sought a meeting with Mistry. "I brought out (facts) to you so that the (Tata) group is not blindsided...This meeting is requested solely with the intent of protecting the Tata group and to enable me to discharge my duties honestly towards the position I was appointed for," he wrote.
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