Officer corroborates Ismail's testimony in fake money case
JAKARTA (JP): A police witness alleged on Tuesday the Ministry of Defense was involved in the Rp 19.2 billion (US$2.1 million) counterfeit case currently being tried.
Sr. Insp. R. Umar Faroq of the National Police Detectives for counterfeit money crimes told the Central Jakarta District Court that defendant Army Maj. (ret) Ismail Putra testified before police investigators last April that the six serial numbers on the counterfeit bills had originated from the Ministry of Defense.
"Ismail told the detectives, including myself, that he got the numbers from the Ministry of Defense," Umar said in a defense hearing for Ismail Putra and Eddy Kereh, presided over by judge Poerwanto.
Umar was referring to the serial number prefixes, namely FRM, LZN, LZO, RPM, TWR and YBD, which Ismail and nine other defendants reportedly used on counterfeit bills.
The officer said the defendant told police investigators last March that it was common for the central bank to divulge serial numbers to the Ministry of Defense for security purposes.
Umar added that Ismail also told investigators that the serial numbers from the Ministry of Defense were in the hands of another defendant, Junie.
"When I arrested Junie on Feb. 29, she told me that the relevant documents were lost. I also raided printing company PT Jaya Abadi Prima in Palmerah, West Jakarta, where the defendants had printed the money," Umar said.
"I found no documents there which could shed light on the serial number mystery either."
Ismail, who is allegedly the leader of a counterfeit money ring, was arrested along with nine others at the printing company in February and March.
Ardy Sukarman, alias A Khui, one of the 10 defendants in the case, said in a Feb. 25 police report that Ismail had convinced him to sponsor printing the counterfeit money.
"Ismail told me that he was ordered by the central bank to carry out the project, and that as a representative of the Ministry of Defense, he was ordered to print money which would be used for the ministry's operational costs in Aceh," A Khui said in the report.
The other six defendants are Yustinus Kasminto; Ramlan, alias Arman, the alleged technician in charge of printing; Bambang, Triyono and Slamet, the reported machine operators; and Tono, the housemaid.
Umar said during the Feb. 29 arrest of Junie at her residence on Jl. Duri in Grogol, West Jakarta, he found documents detailing the purchases the defendants made for ink, paper and other necessities.
"One entry also states that Rp 10 million was paid to state- owned money printing company Perum Peruri since it provided the defendants with (banknote) film negatives," Umar said at the hearing.
Separately, A Khui said in the police report that Eddy Kereh had gone to Bandung, West Java, to get the negatives from Arman.
He also said in the police report that he had covered the production cost for the film, which was Rp 18 million.
Umar said he came across the names of A Khui and later Ismail when he arrested a dealer named Hermanady and his friends Hendra and Nanang at the Melawai Hotel in South Jakarta on Feb. 24.
"Hermanady sold Rp 50 million in counterfeit bills for Rp 15 million to me at the hotel," Umar said at the hearing, adding he was working undercover at the time.
Hendra turned out to be A Khui's son.
"Hendra told police that he received the counterfeit money from his father," Umar said.
A Khui was arrested on Feb. 25, and he led the police to the arrest of Kasminto, Junie and the others, before apprehending Ismail. (ylt)