Thursday, March 27, 2014

Vietnam Airlines suspends pilot, flight attendants over smuggling suspicion

Vietnam national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, on Thursday announced to suspend five flight attendants and one co-pilot to investigate their suspected smuggling attempt.

According to Vietnam's state-run news agency, among the five attendants, one was earlier arrested by Japanese police while carrying 21 items of stolen clothing worth 125,000 Japanese yen ( about 1,218 US dollars) on a bus carrying the aircrew from a hotel in Osaka to Kansai International Airport in Japan last September.

The arrest of the flight attendant was reported earlier by Japanese media on Feb. 27. She is suspected of transporting stolen goods worth 3 million Japanese yen (29,220 US dollars) from a 30- year-old Vietnamese woman in Japan since June 2013.

About 20 employees of Vietnam Airlines were also suspected of involving in the smuggling case.

On Thursday, Vietnam Airlines' office in Tokyo has provided all relevant information and documents upon request of Japanese police to serve the investigation, said Vietnam News Agency.

This is the second time an employee of Vietnam Airlines has involved in a smuggling case in Japan. Earlier in 2009, a pilot of the carrier was also arrested and was kept in custody for a few months in Japan.


Source:    http://www.globaltimes.com