Nusa Dua, Indonesia- Members of German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz’s delegation remained stranded in Indonesia on Sunday after rodents gnawed through the cables of a government plane during the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to the report made known to Oil and Gas Republic, Scholz himself landed in Berlin on Sunday after a 22-hour flight from Bali, with changes in Hong Kong and Zurich.
The Social Democrat (SPD) politician had to be back in Germany as soon as possible because of state elections in Bavaria and the need for consultations with his party.
Rodents – probably mice – had nibbled through the electrical cables of the “Konrad Adenauer,” sources at the IMF meeting told dpa.
Scholz was told on Saturday that he should choose a few of his closest aides to return with him, and was initially asked not to report the incident, the sources said.
Other members of Scholz’s delegation and around 20 journalists who were supposed to be returning in the plane remained in Bali on Sunday, awaiting further information.
A spokeswoman for the Defence Ministry’s air traffic department, which is responsible for government flights, said the plane was to be taken to Singapore, where it would undergo five days of further checks.
Since he had to go to the airport immediately, Scholz missed a planned press conference with Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann on Saturday.
Weidmann sat alone on the podium and told the stranded journalists: “I wish you luck in booking your flights.”