Police summon three suspects of mangrove felling case

Evi Mariani, Jakarta

Three suspects summoned for questioning in connection with the illegal mangrove felling case failed to appear on Thursday citing various personal excuses, police said.

"One of the suspects, Francis Moniaga of advertising company PT Rainbow (Cipta Utama), said he could not make it because he was busy...," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo told reporters.

He added that suspect Agus Suseno from ad company PT Grand Skylindo claimed illness, while the third, Purwadi from toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, said he had to attend a family funeral.

Police investigators have rescheduled the sessions to May 31.

Earlier last week, investigators revealed that Skylindo was responsible for erecting billboards along Jl. Prof. Dr. Sedyatmo toll road, North Jakarta, where 240 illegally felled mangrove trees were found.

They also said Skylindo had erected the billboards with the approval of PT Rainbow, which -- according to Skylindo -- was authorized to manage billboards on Jl. Sedyatmo by PT Jasa Marga, which is thus implicated in the case.

While the area where the billboards were erected falls under the authority of PT Jasa Marga, the felled mangrove trees were part of Jakarta's protected mangrove forests. The mangroves are crucial in reducing the impact of floods in the city's lowland areas.

In addition, erecting billboards in the city can only be done with the consent of the Jakarta administration.

The administration has denied issuing a permit for Skylindo to erect the billboards. The company had instead secured a similar permit from PT Jasa Marga.

The suspects, if prosecuted, may be charged under Environment Law No. 23/1997 and Law No. 5/1990 on conserving natural resources and the ecosystem, as well as Law No. 41/1999 on forestry. The Forestry Law carries a minimum jail term of five years for violators.