Counterfeit money widespread

Counterfeit money widespread

BOGOR (JP): Counterfeit money has become widespread here since
the monetary crisis took root last year, a reliable source at the
local district court said yesterday.

The court has handled eight cases related to counterfeiting
involving 18 suspects over the last six months, the source, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Last year, the court only tried two such cases.

"If a small city like Bogor has such a big counterfeiting
problem, you can imagine how much counterfeit money is
circulating in major cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and
Denpasar."

On Wednesday, the court sentenced seven people to between one
year and two years in prison for circulating bogus money. They
were arrested while in possession of 606 Rp 20,000 banknotes.

The defendants accepted the sentence but prosecutor Razali
Hanafiah, who had sought four years imprisonment for each,
believed it was "too light" and has appealed the decision.

Separately, Widodo, an employer of a Jakarta-based cigarette
company, reported that the amount of counterfeit money his firm
had received was on the rise.

"We identify an average of Rp 100,000 in counterfeit banknotes
every week," he said. (24)