Police question Phoenix employees

JAKARTA: The National Police questioned on Thursday three employees of Bangkok-based PT Phoenix over 73,000 tons of sugar illegally imported from Thailand.

Director of the police's fraud squad Brig. Gen. Samuel Ismoko said that the interrogations were meant to determine whether or not PT Phoenix president-director Raja Banarje could be declared a suspect in the sugar scandal.

"Even though we can't interrogate Nurdin Halid, we continue to probe the case. Today, we will question three employees of PT Phoenix to determine the company's role in the sugar smuggling. We will also be able to determine the status of Raja after the interrogation," said Ismoko, who declined to mention the employees' names. --JP