Zawawi admits manipulation in rice distribution<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The former head of the city's logistics agency
\n(Dolog Jaya), Ahmad Zawawi, has admitted manipulation of rice
\ndistribution was rife throughout the city during his five-month
\ntenure, police said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The head of the city police's economics crimes unit, Lt. Col.
\nSaut Usman Nasution, disclosed that during eight hours of
\nquestioning on Tuesday, Zawawi admitted that more than half the
\ndaily rice supplies intended for market operations for Jakartans
\nwere frequently stolen.<\/p>\n
The city's demand for rice was estimated at about 5,000 metric
\ntons daily, but the agency distributed only 2,000 to 2,500 tons
\nper day, Saut quoted Zawawi as saying.<\/p>\n
\"The remainder was sold illegally to Zawawi's close associates
\nand other rice distributors, using fake delivery orders,\" Saut
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
These illegal practices caused rice prices to soar, thereby
\nenabling suppliers and distributors who hoarded the commodity to
\nsell it for bigger profits, Saut said.<\/p>\n
\"During the lengthy questioning, we were forced to ask him
\n(Zawawi) to support his oral statements with his agency's
\ndocuments about the distribution,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The agency's data showed that Dolog held about 465,000 tons of
\nrice as of early this month, enough for the consumption in
\nJakarta for three months.<\/p>\n
Zawawi told a media briefing earlier that Dolog had launched
\nmarket operations to overcome the chaotic rice market by
\nassigning 260 Dolog partners (distributors) to carry out the
\noperations in markets and housing complexes.<\/p>\n
However, police later identified that many of them turned out
\nto be bogus.<\/p>\n
About 3,000 distributors are currently registered as Dolog
\npartners.<\/p>\n
Zawawi was initially summoned as a witness over the arrest of
\n15 distributors for their alleged involvement in the rice trading
\nwith fake delivery orders at his office and the planned illicit
\nexport of 1,900 tons of rice.<\/p>\n
Police named him as the main suspect during questioning on
\nMonday, but halted the interrogation after he vomited.<\/p>\n
Zawawi was scheduled to attend another questioning session on
\nWednesday but he failed to show up.<\/p>\n
City police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang confirmed that
\nlawyers from the law bureau of the National Logistics Agency
\n(Bulog) told police that Zawawi was sick.<\/p>\n
\"Today he (Zawawi) was scheduled to be questioned at 10 a.m.,
\nbut his lawyers came to the police and told them that he was too
\nsick to go out,\" Aritonang said, without providing details of
\nZawawi's sickness.<\/p>\n
Aritonang also said the police's findings in the first
\ninvestigation would be cross-checked with the evidence, citing
\ndocuments and the agency's internal files and some witnesses'
\ntestimonies. (emf)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/zawawi-admits-manipulation-in-rice-distribution-1447893297",
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