Officials censured over smuggling<\/p>\n
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon<\/p>\n
Prosecutors, police, and customs and excise officials in the West
\nJava city of Cirebon are under fire for what is seen as their lax
\ninvestigation into a smuggling case involving 14 containers
\nfilled with at least four luxury cars and hundreds of electronic
\ngoods.<\/p>\n
Political parties reiterated their threat on Friday to
\nmobilize thousands of party members to occupy the Cirebon customs
\nand excise office if the case was not immediately resolved.<\/p>\n
The warning was issued by local leaders of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB), the Justice and Unity Party (PKP), the
\nStar and Crescent Party (PBB), the National Mandate Party (PAN)
\nand the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
They issued a similar threat two weeks ago but eventually
\nbacked down in order to give local authorities time to
\ninvestigate the case.<\/p>\n
"Unfortunately, the customs and excise office and other
\nauthorities in charge of the investigation have not used this
\ntime to investigate the case seriously," said Dedi Subardi, a
\nlocal PDI Perjuangan official.<\/p>\n
"They (the authorities) are half-hearted in resolving the
\nproblem. So we and other members of the community are not to
\nblame if we take action to solve this problem.<\/p>\n
"We will no longer hesitate to occupy the customs and excise
\nbuilding," said Dedi, who is in charge of coordinating the
\nmobilization of PDI Perjuangan supporters. He did not say when.<\/p>\n
The speaker of the Cirebon legislative council, Suryana, said
\nthe threatened occupation of the customs and excise office was
\n"understandable".<\/p>\n
"Do not underestimate the pressure (political parties and the
\npeople) can exercise. The strong reaction shows that the people
\nare serious about upholding the supremacy of the law," he said.<\/p>\n
Suryana said the sluggish investigation had led many people to
\nsuspect that the authorities were involved in the smuggling case.<\/p>\n
"Do not blame members of the community if they accuse the
\nauthorities of playing games with this case," Suryana, who also
\nchairs the Cirebon branch of PDI Perjuangan, said.<\/p>\n
The Cirebon Prosecutor's Office has named Soenarko Kasidin,
\nthe director of private company PT Tiang Grage, a suspect in the
\ncase of the 14 containers that were smuggled through the local
\nseaport in January.<\/p>\n
However, Suryana said declaring the businessman a suspect was
\nan attempt to cover up the matter, which allegedly involves high-
\nranking local officials.<\/p>\n
Soenarko, who is the owner of the containers, is not a key
\nplayer in the case and will only be victimized by the conspiracy,
\nSuryana added.<\/p>\n
"How is it possible that in such a major case there is only
\none suspect? I believe that there must be other suspects who are
\nmuch more important than him (Soenarko)," he said. "I ask the
\nauthorities to be really serious (about investigating this
\ncase)."<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said it was likely more suspects would be named as
\nthey widened their investigation to include local customs
\nofficials and other officials.<\/p>\n
Suryana said the failure of the customs and excise office to
\nopen the 14 containers was proof that the authorities were
\nreluctant to look too deeply into the case.<\/p>\n
The containers were to have been opened last Monday by customs
\nofficials, along with police officers, an investigative team from
\nthe Cirebon legislative council and prosecutors.<\/p>\n
But because the head of the West Java provincial customs and
\nexcise office, Heru Santoso, failed to show up, the containers
\nwere left sealed.<\/p>\n
There are some suspicions that the containers have been
\nemptied, or that the contents have been switched with other good.<\/p>\n
The 14 containers disappeared from the warehouse of the local
\ncustoms office and were later discovered by the legislative
\ncouncil's investigative team at a warehouse owned by PT Yogadani
\nGemilang, a company run by a local businessman identified only as
\nJhony.<\/p>\n
Known to have connections with senior military and police
\nofficers in Cirebon, Jhony's legal status remains unclear.<\/p>\n
The 14 containers are now sitting at the Cirebon seaport after
\nhaving been moved from Jhony's warehouse on Feb. 21.<\/p>",
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