Team set up to investigate garlic swindle
Team set up to investigate garlic swindle
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Police Internal Affairs Unit is
currently investigating reports of a spice trader being swindled
out of her produce, police said yesterday.
An officer of the city police headquarters said that a special
team had been set up to investigate any possible malfeasance on
the part of police officers in the alleged sale of 7.32 metric
tons of garlic confiscated from a spice trader named Setia Arba
Sibarani, 43.
Setia has accused members of the police economic detective
unit of selling 7.32 metric tons of garlic they confiscated from
her for her alleged involvement in illegal transactions last
year.
Setia claims the police cooperated with another spice trader,
Lely, in selling the confiscated garlic.
"Even though there is a statement that none of the officers
was involved, we will keep investigating. It is very important
for us to know the truth about the case," the officer said.
"Hopefully our investigation will solve the case and clear the
names of innocent parties," he said.
City police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said Wednesday
that the police were looking into the report of the illegal
garlic transaction, but denied the selling of confiscated garlic.
"The garlic confiscated by the officers on Nov. 20 amounted to
five tons, not 7.32 tons as Setia claimed it was," Aritonang
said, quoting court order No.1557/Pen.Pid/PN.JKT.PST.
Separately, Amir Hamzah, head of Tanjung Priok's flora
quarantine unit, which was also mentioned in the case, said the
city police sent him a letter dated Dec. 11, 1997, asking about
the condition of the confiscated garlic.
"I answered that the garlic was already diseased and that the
bulbs could rot. A few days later, Lely came here and asked about
the same thing."
Amir reiterated yesterday that his office never received a
bribe as claimed by Setia.
"The burning of the evidence was not our jurisdiction because
the bulbs were not confiscated by us. It was not our job," Amir
said.
Meanwhile, Lely's lawyer, Sordame Purba, denied Lely's
involvement in the case.
"Lely never bought that garlic from the police. She is a spice
vendor who takes spices mostly from West Java. If the police want
to question her we'll be ready," he said yesterday. (edt)