Mark Forbes – The former head of Garuda, Indonesia's national airline, has been arrested over the poisoning of the country's leading human rights activist, Munir Said Thalib, on a flight to Amsterdam.
Police arrested Indra Setiawan on Saturday and also took into custody Rohainil Aini, the secretary to Garuda's chief pilot. The pair allegedly falsified documents allowing another pilot blamed for the arsenic poisoning of Mr Munir to travel on the flight.
The off-duty pilot, Pollycarpus Priyanto, who changed seats with Mr Munir during the September 2004 flight, has been linked to Indonesia's intelligence agency.
Pollycarpus was sentenced to 14 years for his role in the murder, but the Supreme Court overturned the verdict last year. Following Pollycarpus's release, the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, promised a new investigation would get to the bottom of the case.
Human rights groups remain sceptical, questioning the investigation's failure to pursue senior intelligence officials. Phone records show Pollycarpus made numerous calls to a deputy director of the agency in the days before and after Mr Munir's death.
Garuda's lawyer, M. Assegaf, said the Garuda officials were "suspected of aiding Pollycarpus in the murder of a person, in this case, Munir". He insisted there was no evidence connecting the pair to the murder, saying they were "just linked to the issuance of the documents", and complained that his clients were being treated like terrorists.
He also questioned the validity of the police case in the light of the acquittal of Pollycarpus – who was subsequently given a two-year sentence for forging his assignment letter to travel on the flight by the Supreme Court.
The National Police chief detective, General Bambang Hendarso Danuri, said the investigation into the controversial murder had unearthed new evidence implicating Pollycarpus, who was likely to face new charges of premeditated murder.
Mr Munir had made powerful enemies with his outspoken criticism of military and intelligence agencies. He gained international recognition accusing the military of human rights violations in the provinces of Aceh and Papua and of running a network involved in illegal logging and drug smuggling.
Mr Munir died during the flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam, which included a stopover in Singapore.
Ms Aini and Mr Setiawan are being held in custody for continued questioning.
The arrests are the latest in a series of scandals to rock Garuda. The airline's safety record, procedures and training practices are being questioned after a flight to Yogyakarta crashed last month, killing 21 people, including five Australians.