Police deny giving suspect special treatment
Police deny giving suspect special treatment
JAKARTA (JP): The Tanjung Priok port police denied giving
special treatment to an alleged mastermind of a luxury car
smuggling attempt.
Lt. Col. Timbul Sianturi, the chief of the port town police
office, told The Jakarta Post the accusation made by Jakarta
lawyer Palmer Situmorang, was groundless.
Recently, Agus Komali and two employees of the Custom and
Excise Office, were arrested on charges of trying to take the 40-
foot container containing smuggled vehicles out of the Tanjung
Priok port using false documents.
Last week Situmorang, who represents Agus, sent a letter to
the national police chief accusing the Tanjung Priok police of
giving special treatment to a criminal suspect involved in the
case.
In the letter the lawyer said his client had been hired to
take a container of smuggled vehicles out of the port by the
mastermind of the smuggling attempt.
The container, shipped from Singapore, contained a Mercedes
Benz 500 Cl sedan, a Porsche sport car and three Honda Hurricane
motorbikes.
"I wonder why Dony, the mastermind, is free, while Agus Komali
Hartono, my client, was arrested," Situmorang said in the letter.
Situmorang said Dony should also have been arrested for his
role in the smuggling attempt and that his client was only a
mediator.
"But the police have taken no action against Dony, who has
been going to and leaving the police station freely," he said.
Timbul said those who accused the police of providing special
privilege to certain parties might have no idea of the case and
how the police work.
"Let the lawyer say whatever he wants. We'll only make a
statement after we have completed our investigation," he said.
According to Timbul, Situmorang should see the case from two
distinct aspects: stealing a container and a smuggling attempt.
Timbul said that according to law, importers must pay around
150 percent surcharges to the government for importing luxury
vehicles.
He added that Agus, the lawyer's client, had cooperated with
the police investigation into the smuggling attempt.
According to Situmorang, Dony provided Agus with Rp 26 million
to help process the container's release from the harbor through
the Custom and Excise Office.
"Whatever happened," Timbul said, "the investigation on the
smuggling attempt has yet to be completed."
"We welcome any information from the public, including
lawyers," Timbul said. (bsr)