Police summon three suspects of mangrove felling case

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.