Car smuggling investigation halted

R.K. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Jayapura Police have halted their investigation of the ship Golden Coast, which has been under arrest for more than two months as it had been used to try to smuggle used Japanese cars into the city and have also freed a suspect in the case.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Daud Sihombing, chief of Jayapura Police, said the police made the decision at the recommendation of the Governor of Irian Jaya, Jaap Salossa.

"The investigation into the smuggling case has been halted and Budi Hardjo, alias Bun, who has been held as the main suspect in the case, has been freed of charges at the request of the governor," he said here on Tuesday.

Budi is president of PT Siola, which imported the cars from Japan.

The ship was seized in August for attempting to smuggle 228 Japanese cars, in addition to 177 new cars to the city.

Daud added that despite the halt of the police investigation, Budi Hardjo was obliged to return the used cars to Japan and unload the new cars in Sorong because the city was no longer capable of unloading them.

"Sorong is the only town able to absorb the new cars because the number of cars in Jayapura have exceeded the city's capacity," he said.

Wiryawan, Siola's internal auditor, said the ship would leave for Sorong within the next three days to unload the new cars and would then sail for Japan to return the used cars.

"Our company will comply with the authorities' rulings over this case," he said.