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)