Singgih predicts more sophisticated crimes ahead

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Singgih raised last week the possibilities of more sophisticated, complex crimes happening in the year ahead.

In a year-end press conference Friday, Singgih cited a number of crimes, including money laundering, for law enforcers to watch for next year, Antara reported. During the briefing, Singgih evaluated the trend of crimes occurring over the past year and predicted the legal enforcement's outlook for the coming year.

He said the difficulties of taking legal actions against money launderers in Indonesia was due to the absence of adequate legal mechanisms, compounded by rigid rules of confidentiality imposed by banks.

Speaking more specifically on Indonesia's major event -- the general election in May -- Singgih stressed the need for a smooth process because the slightest offense could trigger major upheavals, social unrest and criminal acts.

Singgih, who is also the National Election Committee's Inspection Board chairman, said his office would give the election its highest priority in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 99/1996, issued on Christmas Eve, which introduces new rules to ensure unrest-free procedures.

Along with Government Regulation No. 74/1996, the decree stipulates election campaigning which will put more stress on dialog and discussion and bans street rallies and convoys of vehicles blamed for clashes and disturbances during previous elections.

Singgih said the headache that continues to plague Indonesia's waters is illegal trawling by foreign fishing companies. He promised that related authorities, especially the Navy, will handle the matter thoroughly.

Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Yunan Sawidji said that the illegal trawlers usually operate under false fishing licenses, or use foreign boats made to look like domestic boats.

The Attorney General Office reported this year 108 cases of illegal trawling and 132 cases of special criminal cases, as opposed to 326 cases last year. Among the special cases are corruption and subversion.

Ban

Also during the briefing, Singgih announced the ban, effective since November, on three books on the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). The first is Bayang-bayang PKI (The Shadow of PKI) by Togi Simanjuntak and Irwan Hasibuan.

"The work is full of distortions," Singgih said, Antara reported.

The two other books are Partai Rakyat Demokratik, Menuju Demokrasi Multi Partai Kerakyatan (The Democratic People's Party. Toward a Multiparty People's Democracy), which smacks of communism, and Potret Negara Indonesia (Portrait of Indonesia) by labor activist Muchtar Pakpahan, who is currently standing trial for allegedly attempting to undermine the state ideology Pancasila and the government.

Muchtar's is a subversive case and he could be sentenced with death.

Singgih said 50 people have been prevented from leaving the country in the eight months to November of this year, reaching a total of 462, while those denied entry in the same period comprise 26 people, giving a total of 177 people.

Education programs on legal aspects have been offered in 925 villages and information programs have been conducted 675 times over the past year, he said.

He said standard court cases handled by his office reached 31,976 this year in comparison to 56,000 for 1995. This year's expedited cases reached 1.6 million from last year's 1.4 million.

For the seven months to October of this year, appeals to the high courts had a sharp increase of 14,139 cases in comparison to last year's total of 4,132, he said.

The Attorney General's appeals to the Supreme Court also experienced a sharp increase, with a total of 17,217 cases in the same period of this year versus last year's 5,441.

During the same period, Singgih's office managed to return Rp 203 billion (US$85 million) to state coffers.

Regarding escapee bank swindler Eddy Tansil, a number of his factories, land, home and stocks have been channeled into the defrauded bank Bapindo and other syndicated banks for compensation, Singgih said.

Head of Jakarta Provincial Prosecutor's Office Sidharta said the dossier on legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho, who was allegedly involved in the July 27 rioting, was to be submitted to court on Dec. 27 (Friday), while the dossier on Catholic priest Father Sandyawan Sumardi, who faces the same charge, has yet to reach his office.

Singgih said continued efforts at improving the quality of human resources at his office are being made to meet the professional standards expected of his office.

Singgih said that out of 5,610 judges, 1,424 are following additional legal education and training, while 17 others are pursuing advanced legal degrees abroad. (01)