Indonesia to sue UK agency for share of Airbus bribery case settlement - minister

By Ananda Teresia

JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia plans to sue the United Kingdom's anti-graft agency for a share of a 991 million euro ($1.04 billion) bribery settlement paid by aircraft maker Airbus to the British government, its law minister said on Wednesday.

Airbus, the world's largest aircraft manufacturer, agreed to the payout in 2020 as part of a record $4 billion settlement with France, Britain and the U.S. following a 3-1/2 year criminal investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption.

The investigation covered allegations of corrupt conduct by Airbus in five countries, including Indonesia.

Law minister Yasonna Laoly told Reuters that Indonesia would sue the UK's Serious Fraud Office, which investigated the allegations, to obtain a part of the settlement.

"We are one of the victim countries, we just seek fairness," he said, adding the Southeast Asian country is consulting with its legal counsel in Britain.

The minister added that Indonesia had provided evidence during the investigation. His comment was first reported this week by The Financial Times.

A UK government representative said its partnership with Indonesia in tackling international crime is "highly valued".

"The UK is committed to its international obligations, in line with due process," a spokeperson said late on Wednesday.

($1 = 0.9490 euros)

(Writing by Stefanno Sulaiman, Stanley Widianto, Editing by William Maclean and Sonali Paul)