Bribe taker not duped

From Surabaya Post

Riding my motorcycle close to Jl. Ambengan near the railway crossing around noon on Sept. 29, I entered a roadblock set up by the East Surabaya Police who were checking on vehicle registration papers.

I only had a photocopy of my vehicle document (STNK). I explained to the policemen that the original STNK was at the police office for its yearly extension. The officers did not accept my explanation and wanted to ticket me.

There followed a negotiation of the fine I had to pay as an out-of-court settlement. The gentlemen seemed to have decided that the bottom price would be Rp 10,000.

I still wanted to escape with a lower price, so I made a neat bundle of eight banknotes of Rp 1,000 each. One of the gentlemen showed acumen when he started counting the money. He was not overly surprised with the shortage in the agreed-upon sum. He told me that if I did not cough up the right amount, I would have to go to court. I had no choice but to give him another Rp 2,000.

Then he returned the photocopy of my STNK and my driver's license.

Name and address

known to the editor