Police general faces bribe charge<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Director of the National Police economic crimes division Brig.
\nGen. Samuel Ismoko will soon be questioned for allegedly taking a
\nbribe worth US$20,000 to allow Adrian Waworuntu, one of key
\nsuspects in the Rp 1.7 trillion (US$185 million) Bank Negara
\nIndonesia (BNI) scandal, to escape.<\/p>\n
Chief of the internal affairs division Insp. Gen. Supriyadi
\nsaid Thursday that Ismoko, who is also chief investigator in the
\nRp 1.7 trillion (US$185 million) scandal, must explain whether or
\nnot he took a bribe to help Adrian evade police arrest.<\/p>\n
\"We will question him after his we speak with his
\nsubordinates. We have already scheduled a time for it,\" said
\nSupriyadi.<\/p>\n
Seven of Ismoko's subordinates are undergoing questioning by
\nthe internal affairs division.<\/p>\n
Quoting Petindo Group director Rudy Sutopo, also a suspect in
\nthe scandal, some media outlets reported on Thursday that Ismoko
\nreceived $20,000 (Rp 183 million) from Adrian in December before
\nthe police officer made an official trip to Thailand.<\/p>\n
Adrian was released from police detention in March and
\ndeclared a fugitive on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
Rudy, who is awaiting trial while in detention at Cipinang
\nprison in East Jakarta, said Adrian, a director of the Gramarindo
\nGroup, borrowed money from him to give \"pocket allowance\" to
\nIsmoko.<\/p>\n
He also said that all investigators in the economic crimes
\ndivision received between Rp 25 million and Rp 50 million each
\ndepending on their ranks.<\/p>\n
The scandal centered around the issuance of letters of credits
\nto withdraw money from BNI's Kebayoran Baru branch. The letters
\nof credit turned out to be fake, causing the state bank to suffer
\nlosses worth Rp 1.7 trillion. The money went to several
\ncompanies, including the Gramarindo and Petindo Groups.<\/p>\n
Police named a total of 16 suspects in the case. The prime
\nsuspect, Indonesian-born Dutch woman Maria Lumowa, is still at
\nlarge.<\/p>\n
Ismoko, in a press conference held on Thursday evening, denied
\nthe allegation, saying that his office paid all of his expenses
\nfor his trip to Thailand.<\/p>\n
Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Paiman said police would question
\nRudy and give him a chance to confirm his accusations.<\/p>\n
\"We will speak with him soon to verify his statement. He
\ndoesn't have to be afraid as we will protect him,\" said Paiman.<\/p>\n
Adrian's escape has made headlines nationwide in the last
\nseveral weeks and most people seem to believe that it would have
\nbeen impossible for Adrian to escape if the police had not been
\nabetting him.<\/p>\n
It is now incumbent upon the police to produce Adrian to the
\nprosecutor's office as soon as possible for trial.<\/p>\n
A police spokesman said earlier that Adrian \"might have fled
\nthe country using different name\" because the travel ban on him
\nwas still effective when he was released from detention in March.<\/p>\n
The police have offered a Rp 1 billion reward for information
\nleading to Adrian's arrest.<\/p>\n
The alleged bribery and the escape of Adrian have added to
\npolice's negative reputation among the public.<\/p>\n
Aside from the BNI case, the police have still not finished
\nseveral dossiers for other major corruption cases over the last
\ntwo years, including the Rp 20 trillion Account No. 502 scandal,
\nthe Rp 2 trillion BDB and Asiatic bank scandals and the Rp 900
\nbillion Bulog corruption case.<\/p>\n
Another case that further tarnished the police's image was the
\nalleged partiality of top officers during the elections indicated
\nby the VCD case involving Banyumas police chief Sr. Comr. Andi
\nMapparesa, who spoke in May in front of police family members
\nurging them to vote for President Megawati Soekarnoputri in the
\nelection.<\/p>",
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