Some top city police officers accused of pocketing payoffs
Some top city police officers accused of pocketing payoffs
JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Lt. Gen. Rusdihardjo vowed
on Friday to conduct a thorough probe into a report that several
top Jakarta Police officers took a percentage of illegal fees for
driver's licenses.
Rusdihardjo claimed he never received such a report and asked
reporters to show him a copy, which was distributed on the same
day to the media by a traffic policeman.
After receiving a copy, the three-star general said he would
immediately look into the matter.
"Thank you, I'll keep this with me and study it," Rusdihardjo
said.
The report states that several high-ranking officers of the
Jakarta Police, including chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi and traffic
police chief Col. Nyoman Sukesna, collect a portion of illegal
fees exacted for obtaining or extending driver's licenses for
both private and public transportation vehicles.
Officially, the rate to obtain a new driver's license for
motorcycles, private cars and public buses is Rp 82,500, but the
actual charge is Rp 150,000.
The source said that of the additional Rp 67,500, 10 percent
was allocated to the police chief, 30 percent to the traffic
police chief, 25 percent to a team from the administrative unit
of the traffic police directorate, 10 percent each to the driving
license unit head and head of the vehicle registration and
identification, 12.5 percent for "operational costs" and the
other 2.5 percent by secretary to the traffic police chief, the
source said.
The disparity between the official rate and the actual payment
is even greater for driver's licenses for container trucks, in
which an additional Rp 137,500 is collected for each license.
Despite a declared police policy to remove brokers from the
driver's license office on Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta, they
remain a fixture.
The brokers, including those attired in police uniform and
people who professed to be reporters, said their services enabled
applicants to bypass time-consuming medical and driving tests.
No Jakarta Police officers could be reached for comment on
Friday. (ylt)