Five policemen on trial in illegal logging case

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

The trial of five police officers allegedly involved in illegal logging activities opened on Thursday at a district court in Sorong regency, Papua.

The defendants, including former Sorong Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Faizal Abdul Nazer and his ex-deputy Adj. Sr. Comr. I Putu Mahasena, could be imprisoned for up to six years if found guilty of violating Article 263 of the Criminal Code on document forgery in connection with the case.

They could face an additional six months' imprisonment as they have also been charged under Article 221 of the Criminal Code on the destruction of evidence.

The other three defendants, Faizal's former subordinates, are First Insp. Anshar Johar, Second Brig. Aceng Danda and Second Insp. Widodo.

Another suspect, former Sorong Police chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Taswin, has been missing for months, possibly to elude the investigation.

The trial, presided over by judges Marthen Thosuly, Hebin Silalahi and Andi Asmuruf, was adjourned until Dec. 20 to hear the defense pleas of the defendants and their lawyers.

The case surfaced after a Panama-flagged vessel, the MV Africa, laden with 12,000 cubic meters of illegal logs was seized by water police off Sorong on Jan. 15, 2002.

The ship was then handed over to the Sorong Police, who should have brought legal proceedings against the vessel's crew and owners. However, the ship and the illegal logs, which had been declared evidence, later disappeared for unknown reasons.

Faisal reported to Papua Police Headquarters that the case had been dealt with in accordance with the law. However, the evidence he presented to the Papua Police was not the illegal logs seized from the ship but rather others confiscated from businessman Felix Welianto.

Felix was detained by the Sorong Police but was later freed after prosecutors found that the logs presented to them as evidence were not those seized from the MV Africa.

The National Police say they are investigating the possible involvement of high-ranking police officers in the illegal logging case following the confession of Anshar Johar, a former officer of Sorong Police station's operations division.