South Sulawesi police accuse former chief of abusing power

Jupriadi and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Makassar/Jakarta

The South Sulawesi provincial legislature summoned the top local police officers on Wednesday in connection with the alleged involvement of former Provincial Police chief Comr. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb in the false registration of 11 luxury cars last year.

During the unprecedented hearing presided over by legislator Ihsan Yasinc Limpo, Provincial Traffic Police chief Sr. Supt. Zairin Bustami said there was evidence of power abuse committed by Sofjan by ordering the traffic police to issue "temporary vehicle ownership papers in his name for 11 Mercedes without a mandatory physical check done on the vehicles".

"Aside from the fact that there were absolutely no physical checks done on the vehicles before the documents were issued, the cars were never operational in South Sulawesi even though they had provincial registration numbers," Zairin told the hearing.

"This is a clear violation ... abuse of one's position. If a police chief uses his position to abuse the law, a violation has occurred."

Also present were representatives from Makassar Customs and Excise.

Zairin said three of the ownership documents were issued on May 3, five on May 15, two on May 17 and one on May 21 last year. Sofjan was installed as the Jakarta Police chief on May 7, a position he held for seven months before becoming the National Resilience Institute inspector.

Reports said the luxury cars, all from between 1993 and 1997, were smuggled out of Singapore. Some of the cars, which bear single numbers, were seized separately in Jakarta recently.

The case surfaced on the heels of a legal battle that pits Sofjan and some 160 officers against National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar over the mandatory retirement age ruling. Da'i has insisted on applying the former retirement age of 55, despite the 2000 Law on National Police, which extends police service to age 58 and, under certain circumstances, to 60.

Sofjan, Zairin said, had sent letters to the then Traffic Police chief Adj. Sr. Supt. Eddy Prawoto to issue the temporary vehicle ownership documents.

Following Zairin's statements, legislator Ambas Syam stated that the South Sulawesi provincial legislative council was still debating on whether to call Sofjan in for a separate hearing to give his version of the story and to clarify the matter.

In Jakarta, National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang stated that among the 11 cars were a 1997 Mercedes SS 60 L bearing registration number DD 1 QK, which was confiscated from the parking lot of the Mangga Dua shopping complex by city police detectives on May 3 of this year, and a 1995 Mercedes S 600, registered to a South Sulawesi Police chief, bearing registration number DD 8 SJ.

Aritonang denied allegations that the investigation was in any way linked to Sofjan's legal battle with the National Police.