Beleaguered Indonesian carrier Lion Air is fighting back against recently imposed sanctions by the government.
The transport ministry recently said Lion Air would not be granted any new route permits for six months, after a pilot strike caused major disruption.
The strike came about after pilots complained of late salary payments.
Now Lion Air has taken the unusual step of lodging a criminal complaint with the police.
Lion Air president Edward Sirait, said it had specifically named the transport ministry’s director general of air transportation, Suprasetyo, to the national police’s criminal investigation unit.
"We feel we have been treated unfairly. We will seek justice," he said.
Sirait says it should be classed as a criminal matter as the ministry has abused it’s power under sections of the penal code and criminal code in Indonesian law by imposing sanctions without notice or an investigation.
Lion Air was also sanctioned for an unrelated matter late last week after ground staff mistakenly directed passengers from an international flight through a domestic checkpoint in Jakarta.
