Car smuggling trial goes on

JAKARTA (JP): A court here decided yesterday to continue a smuggling case, despite an objection by defense lawyers to the prosecutor's indictment.

A team of judges led by Mohammad Baedhowie at the North Jakarta District Court had decided that the defense lawyers' objection to flaws in the prosecutor's indictment were not substantial enough to invalidate it.

Three men are being charged with smuggling two luxury cars and a motorcycle by falsifying a delivery order permit and an invoice list. A fourth suspect, Mulyono, remains at large.

The invoice declared that the container was filled with various vehicle spare parts when a modified metallic-blue Mercedes 500 SL, a black Porsche type 991 and an 800-cc Honda motorcycle were its actual contents.

In his indictment, prosecutor Ichran Siregar cited that items smuggled had cost the state a loss of more than Rp 1 billion in tax revenues.

The smuggling attempt began when suspect Agus Kamali Hartono allegedly received a bill of lading from a someone named Sarifudin. Agus, along with another suspect, Mulyono, went to Djakarta Lloyd to pay the fee and pick up the container.

Agus then contacted suspect Husni Thamrin, paying him Rp 26 million from a promised Rp 35 million to create a false permit for the container's release.

On Sept. 12, 1995, suspect Husni allegedly contacted suspect M. Farhat to create a false invoice letter, which listed the container as holding various spare parts. Farhat was allegedly paid Rp 1 million.

On the night of Sept.14, suspect Husni allegedly tried to use the invoice to retrieve the container from storage, but container terminal officials became suspicious and moved the container to a different location.

Farhat made a second attempt on Oct. 31, after retyping the invoice and informing Agus of the plan.

Agus rented a lorry to haul the container but container terminal officials noticed a red label on the container, which indicated that there was a problem. The release order was found to be fictitious.

The hearing was adjourned until next Tuesday. (14)