Police vow to speed up handling of fuel scam cases
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police officials revealed on Monday that they would submit the case files for various fuel scams, in which many are alleged to have illegally stockpiled fuel for economic gain, to prosecutors next week, citing that it was part of efforts to speed up the legal proceedings, City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said.
"Just wait. We're working to complete the dossiers," said Anton without explaining the specifics of the dossiers that would be submitted.
Anton said that fuel-related offenses were crimes which might worsen the country's situation, so the police felt an obligation to expedite the legal process.
He was commenting on a request from the state-run oil and gas company Pertamina that the accelerated procedure was necessary. The company feared that any delay could result in a loss or alteration of the evidence which in turn would impede the prosecution of the case.
Police, along with Pertamina, have been conducting raids against the speculators who are suspected of stockpiling fuel to benefit from uncertain trading since last December.
During the first two weeks of the operation entitled Dian 2002, Torch 2002, the police managed to nab 17 suspects and confiscated a total 882 tons of diesel fuel and kerosene from several areas of greater Jakarta.
On Thursday last week, police reported the capture a man identified as Muhajir because he had some 24 tons of oil stored in nine containers and two tanker trucks at Desa Pantai Makmur Taruna Jaya in Bekasi.
The largest discovery, however, was the 300 tons of diesel fuel and kerosene that was found in Ciracas, East Jakarta. Police detained the owner, identified as I Pasaribu.
Much of the confiscated fuel was taken to Pertamina's depot at Plumpang in North Jakarta and Tanjung Gerem in the Merak district of Banten. The rest of the fuel was left where it was discovered and sealed off by police tape.
Anton said plain-clothes officers were safeguarding those locations to prevent any tampering of evidence.
However, an official with Pertamina, overseeing fuel supply in West Java, Jakarta and Banten provinces, said that the police had already handed over the evidence to Pertamina.
Chief of the procurement division at Pertamina unit III, T.T. Situmorang told The Post that police and Pertamina, "had signed the handover documents".
"There is no police officer in uniform guarding the evidence. But, I am not sure whether or not any plain-clothes police personnel are present there," Situmorang said.
Anton said that operation Torch 2002 would continue until Feb. 16, with cooperation from Pertamina.