Judge arrested for corruption

PEKANBARU, Riau: Krisman Sormin, the former president of the Pekanbaru District Court, has been arrested on corruption charges.

Much. Huzaini, deputy chief of the Riau High Prosecutor's Office, said here on Tuesday that the suspect had been detained and would be brought to court as his office had evidence that the suspect took a bribe of Rp 50 million during a recent case he handled in Tanjung Pinang District Court.

"Sulistianti, one of the parties to the case, and her husband transferred the money through the suspect's bank account with Bank Central Asia in Batam," he said, adding that Sulistianti had made her allegations public after the court ruled against her.

During the investigation, the suspect said the money had bee given so that an out-of-court settlement could be arranged between the two sides, rather than to ensure that Sulistianti won the case.

Huzaini said the suspect was facing 22-years imprisonment or a maximum fine of Rp 30 million if found guilty.

So far, no action has been taken against Sulistianti, who claimed she had attempted to bribe the judge.

The suspect, also a former president of the Pekanbaru District Court, was scheduled to be brought to Batam on Tuesday to be tried by the Batam District Court. --Antara

Jambi police to probe car smuggling

JAMBI: The Jambi Provincial Police will continue its thorough investigation of the smuggling on Feb. 6, 2002, of two luxury cars into the province, a police officer said.

"The police have no intention of letting the case gather dust, especially given that it is so important to the public. We are actively seeking the smugglers," Sr. Comr. Bakaruddin, chief of the provincial police's detective unit, said here on Tuesday.

The police in Kuala Tungkal, Tanjung Jabung, foiled the smuggling of two Jaguar motorcars through the province. The attempt allegedly involved smugglers from Singapore and their prospective buyers from Jakarta.

The smuggling attempt was thwarted by a group of patrolling police officers who stopped a truck driven by Effendi Sinaga on Feb. 24, 2002. The truck was transporting the two cars from Kuala Tungkal to Jakarta.

Previously, the local police had arrested several police personnel who were allegedly involved in smuggling luxury cars through the province. Their cases are still being heard by the Jambi District Court. --Antara

Eleven killed in truck collision

SURABAYA, East Java: At least eleven people were killed and three others seriously injured in a collision between a truck and a minibus in Suwaiwo Village, Sukorejo subdistrict, Pasuruan, East Java, on Tuesday.

According to information supplied by the Pandaan and Sukorejo Police subprecincts, the bodies of six of the dead were still in the general hospital in Bangil and the Panca Dharma General Hospital in Pandaan. The bodies of the other five dead had already been claimed by their relatives. Meanwhile, the injured were receiving treatment in the same hospitals

The dead victims, who were employees of a supplier of PT Sampoerna, a cigarette maker in the province, were identified as Kusnul, Hermin, Henis, Ernawati, Mina, Sumaiya, Muji Rahayu, the minibus driver Dian Kurniawan, Sumarti, Ririn and Kusmainah.

The truck driver and his assistant are still at large. --Antara