Gilbert Ignatius; Getty Images
- A former Qatar Airways flight attendant said police targeted him for wearing items from Hermès.
- Gilbert Ignatius said he was left traumatized after he was fired and deported from Qatar.
- Ignatius had worked at the airline for six years in business and first-class cabins.
A former Qatar Airways flight attendant who was detained for using tinted moisturizer says an officer accused him of being a sex worker because he was wearing luxury clothing.
Gilbert Ignatius, a 32-year-old Indonesian flight attendant, told Business Insider a male officer from the Criminal Investigation Department in Qatar slapped him after pointing out he was wearing several Hermès items.
Ignatius said he worked for Qatar's national airline for six years in its business and first-class cabins. He had been celebrating his birthday at Claw BBQ, a restaurant in the capital city of Doha, in May, when he was approached by the officer, he said.
Ignatius said he and another flight attendant were brought to the police station after one of two officers wiped tinted moisturizer off their faces with wet wipes. He added that the skin product was from the Shiseido Men collection.
Ignatius said the officer didn't ask for his consent to remove the moisturizer and continued to accuse him of being a sex worker, asking how much money he made every night.
Ignatius said the officer who approached him also pointed out his designer shoes, belt, and bag, and insisted that he must be a sex worker.
Ignatius said he's from a wealthy family in Indonesia and earned a diploma from South Metropolitan TAFE in Perth, Australia. BI could not independently verify information about his family's wealth.
Ignatius said he told the officer he was a flight attendant with Qatar Airways, but the officer refused to believe he could afford the items. Ignatius told BI the Irving loafers, Kelly belt, and Geta bag were all from Hermès.
"He said, 'you think I don't know how much you earn every month and you think you can buy Hermès?'" Ignatius told BI.
Ignatius said when he told the officer he had purchased the items before working for the airline, the man slapped his face.
Ignatius said he asked to contact the Indonesian embassy in Doha, but the officer refused and told him that he could wait in jail, as the embassies were closed. The Indonesian embassy in Doha did not respond to BI's requests for comment.
Ignatius said the officer later released him, and he returned to the Qatar Airways living quarters before a 4 a.m. curfew.
In the police clearance certificate viewed by BI, the Criminal Investigation Department said Ignatius had no previous criminal convictions. The Criminal Investigation Department did not respond to BI's requests for comment.
The following day, Ignatius said Qatar Airways confiscated his passport and that he was not allowed to leave the living quarters. Ignatius was then fired on June 4, according to a letter from Qatar Airways viewed by BI. The airline did not respond to BI's requests for comment.
Ignatius said he has since returned to Indonesia. He said he now works as a flight attendant with Jetstar, owned by Australia's Qantas. Jetstar told BI that due to privacy reasons, confirmation of employment could not be provided.
Ignatius said he's needed counseling to recover from the emotional stress of the incident: "I was left in shock. I was traumatized."
In recent years, Qatar has had several controversies related to its anti-LGBTQ stance. In September 2022, three men from the Philippines were deported from Qatar for wearing makeup in public. A few months later, an ambassador for the soccer World Cup being held in Qatar made homophobic comments in a TV interview.