Five people sent to jail for Taiwan dollar counterfeiting

BOGOR (JP): The Bogor District Court sentenced a printing company owner and four of her employees on Monday to jail terms ranging from seven months to eight months for counterfeiting Taiwan $26 million.

Presiding judge Soehartono identified the defendants as Sizy Angelina, 49, Ujang Rukmana Achmad, 47, Deni Saepul Rachmat, 46, Tediyanto, 45, and Dedi Muhamad Makmur, 39.

Sizy, the owner of Himalaya printing company, received an eight-month sentence. The four men, all of whom worked in Sizy's firm, were sentenced to seven months each.

"Sizy was found guilty of ordering the counterfeiting of the money by providing materials and equipment," he said. She was convicted of violating Article 250 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum punishment of six years in prison and a fine of up to Rp 4,500 (50 U.S. cents).

The employees were found guilty of being accessories to the crime, a violation of Article 55 of the Criminal Code.

He said the counterfeiting activities started after Sizy met two men, identified as Jansen Johanes alias David and Wang A Sung, a Taiwan national, at her house on Jl. Roda, Bogor, in July last year.

David invited Sizy to cooperate in printing fake Taiwan dollars.

Wang gave the defendant a Taiwan dollar note with a face value of 1,000 as a specimen and Rp 12 million for printing fees, he said.

"Sizy then ordered her four employees to start printing the money," he added.

The defendants printed 10,000 notes each with a face value of 1,000 Taiwan dollars in July last year, another 8,000 notes in September last year and 8,000 sheets in January this year, Soehartono said. The money is believed to have been partly distributed in Taiwan.

He said 6,600 notes were confiscated and presented as evidence.

The defendants appeared resigned to the judge's decision. They shook hands with him and greeted their relatives who attended the trial.

David and Wang are being tried separately in the same court.

Prosecutor Junus Saiya asked the court to sentence David and Wang to 20 months and 18 months respectively. (24/jun)