Yahoo Autos Indonesia's Formula E Race Under Corruption Investigation
The Jakarta E-Prix, the Formula E round in Indonesia that ran in June of 2022 after a long and rocky organizing process, is now reportedly the focus of an investigation by the country's Corruption Eradication Commission, according to the Jakarta Globe.
The corruption group reportedly spoke to Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan last week, a conversation meant to shed light on why the city budget was used to fund most of the costs of the race. An Indonesian-language source surfaced by Formula E expert Hazel Southwell later clarified that the governor is not necessarily a suspect in the investigation.
It is far from the first case of questionable city finances surrounding a Formula E race. Montreal mayor Valerie Plante chose to cancel the city's E-Prix in December of 2017, citing costs to the city of up to $35 million to host the struggling event. Plante had campaigned in part on exploring solutions to the heavy cost to the city to host the race, a sharp contrast to prior mayor Denis Coderre's apparent choice to ignore the advice of the city's legal team while initially putting the race together. That process was investigated by the city's inspector general in 2018, leading to a report that also suggested the non-profit organization tied to the race served as a communication channel between the office of the Mayor and event promoters in a way that the city's legal department warned against.
Jakarta and Formula E are reportedly under contract to host the E-Prix through 2024.
Formula E did not respond to Road & Track's request for comment on this matter.
You Might Also Like
