11 grilled for court document forgery
JAKARTA: The police are interrogating 11 officials allegedly linked with the forgery of court papers which allowed two Nigerians convicted of drug trafficking last year to escape from prison.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said Wednesday that the 11 officials were from the Cipinang penitentiary, Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, and East Jakarta District Court.
"Thus far, we have evidence that three officials from the East Jakarta District Court are involved in the document fraud," he said, only identifying the officials involved by their initials JM, T, and R.
A Nigerian man, Michael Roger Earp, and woman, Abdalla, escaped from the Cipinang penitentiary in East Jakarta and the Tangerang Women's Penitentiary respectively on Dec. 30 last year with forged court documents stating that they had been acquitted based upon a judicial review.
The East Jakarta District Court had sentenced the man to 20- years imprisonment and the woman to 15-years imprisonment after finding them guilty of smuggling 1.2 kilograms (2.64 pounds) of heroin into Indonesia last year.
"The couple could have fled to their home country. We're now tracking down the lawyer who helped them to escape," said Anton. --JP
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Businessman held for firearms possession
TANGERANG: Three policemen arrested on Wednesday morning a discotheque owner in the possession of three firearms and 283 bullets on the Jakarta-Merak toll road near the Bitung toll gate, west of the Tomang intersection.
Ali Basuki Sani Lumbun, who owns a discotheque on Jl. Gajah Mada in West Jakarta, had pulled his Daihatsu jeep over into the emergency lane when the officers approached him.
When it was determined that the 54-year-old man was intoxicated, the police decided to bring him to a nearby police post. However, the suspect refused to go with the officers and opened fire on one of the three officers. The officer was unharmed, and the suspect was taken to Tangerang Police Headquarters.
Ali said he was on his way to his second wife's house in the Citra Raya housing complex in Bitung.
"The weapons and bullets are not mine. They were given to me by a customer named Robert as collateral for his unpaid loans," he said.
Police detective Deputy Insp. Kustanto said besides the firearms and bullets, police also found a press card and a marketing card issued by a local daily newspaper. -- JP
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Flood victims rally at Bappenas
JAKARTA: Dozens of flood victims rallied in front of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) office on Jl. Taman Suropati in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.
They victims demanded the planning board provide transparent information on the Rp 20 trillion (US$2 billion) to be handed over to the city administration by the central government to fund a 10-year flood prevention program.
Several adults in the group carried garbage cans and placed them in a garden located across from the office, while a number of children drew pictures on a long cloth. The ralliers also sang patriotic songs while one of their members gave a speech.
Wardah Hafidz, the chairwoman of the Urban Poor Consortium and the organizer of the rally, told The Jakarta Post that they were protesting in front of the planning board because it was involved in the disbursement of the money.
"The board must not disburse the money without first understanding the needs of most of the residents here. They must be aware that the funds will be managed by the (city) administration, which so far has failed to manage problems in the city, including the recent floods," she said.
Despite failing to meet with the board's chairman, Kwik Kian Gie, who was not in the office on Wednesday, the victims were able to meet with several top officials to convey their concerns. -- JP