Counterfeiters may get jail terms

JAKARTA (JP): Prosecutors demanded on Monday that two staff at the State Secretariat be sentenced to six years in jail for allegedly forging documents to facilitate the import of goods belonging to a Spanish citizen.

Chief prosecutor Madju Ambarita told the Central Jakarta District Court that the two defendants -- Bambang Wahyudi, 47, and Rachmat Permana, 42 -- had forged the signature of Ambardy Syarief, head of the State Secretariat's Legal Bureau, on documents allowing Spaniard CJM Van Mierlo to bring his belongings, including a Mercedes Benz C 180 E series, into the country.

Van Mierlo, an adviser to Bali-based PT Mimbamas Perkasa, lives on Jl. Pantai Karang in Denpasar, Bali. He required licenses from both the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the State Secretariat to import the goods.

Madju said Van Mierlo, who did not know the import procedures here, asked a friend, Van den Hook Cornelis, to find someone able to obtain the licenses from both institutions.

With Van Mierlo's money, Van den Hook hired PT Gelombang Fajar, a Surabaya-based company, to obtain the license. The company charged Van Mierlo US$70,000 (about Rp 490 million) for both licenses.

PT Gelombang Fajar tendered the job to Jakarta-based PT Frigmen Intinusa for Rp 400 million. PT Frigmen Intinusa hired Luthfi Sumaran to work to obtain the documents.

However, Luthfi subcontracted the job to Abdul Hakim, a director of Jakarta-based PT Dwi Jaya Inti Perkasa, for Rp 25 million.

Madju said Abdul Hakim apparently did not have a problem getting the license from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, but he had no "insider" to help obtain the license from the State Secretariat.

Abdul Hakim asked a friend, Samsudin Siregar, to obtain the documents. He gave Samsudin, who claimed to have close associates in the State Secretariat, Rp 25 million for the task.

Samsudin, however, delegated the task to Saung Bachtiar. Samsudin gave Saung Rp 8 million and Van Mierlo's passport to get the license from the State Secretariat.

Prosecutor Madju said Saung then asked defendant Bambang Wahyudi to work to get the license, with a promise that Bambang would receive Rp 4 million.

Bambang discussed the matter with his colleague Rachmat Permana, the second defendant, who provided blank letterheads from the State Secretariat. Bambang, who later allegedly counterfeited Ambardy Syarief's signature, gave Rp 150,000 to Rachmat for the blank letterheads.

Bambang sent the counterfeited license to the Directorate General of Customs in Jakarta.

Doubtful of its originality, the Directorate General of Customs sent the license back to Ambardy Syarief, who discovered that Bambang had forged his signature.

Presiding Judge Rasadi adjourned the trial until next week, to hear testimony from witnesses. (asa)