Uncertainty clouds probe into car smuggling ring

Uncertainty clouds probe into car smuggling ring

Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A noted analyst expressed serious doubts on Wednesday over the
objectivity of the investigation into a nationwide ring of luxury
car smuggling involving senior police officers, arguing that it
was highly unlikely that they acted alone.

Criminologist Adrianus Meliala of the University of Indonesia
said that car smuggling could never take place without the help
of police officers and customs and excise officials.

"Luxury car smuggling is a group act ... this requires a group
of customs and excise officers and police officials to process
the necessary documents and to keep their mouths shut," Adrianus
told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"It's going to be difficult for police detectives to set aside
their loyalty towards the National Police, and probably the
police officials involved, and conduct questioning of police
officers and officials objectively," he said.

Adrianus was asked to comment on the planned questioning of
former Jakarta Police chief Comr. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb, who has
been accused of smuggling 11 Mercedes Benz cars from Singapore at
the end his tenure as South Sulawesi police chief in 2001.

The National Police had set up a team of investigators headed
by Inspector General Comr. Gen. Ahwil Luthan, which was expected
to summon Sofjan soon.

The probe is unprecedented, considering that it is one of a
handful of criminal cases directly involving police generals
investigated by police detectives as required by Police Law No.
2/2002.

Each provincial police chief is allowed to issue temporary
vehicle documents, which are effective for up to three months,
for security reasons.

Criminologist Mulyana W. Kusumah stressed the importance of
public accountability and transparency in the investigation of
this case, considering that police would be interrogating senior
police officials.

"Other than the alleged involvement of Sofjan Jacoeb, which
has been openly publicized, we do not know the identities or the
number of civilians and police officers involved in this case,"
Mulyana said.

"What's worse is that Sofjan will first be called by police
only to clarify his point of view. It will be an informal
questioning before legal steps are taken to question him
formally."

Speculation has been rife that the probe into Sofjan has more
to do with his legal dispute with National Police Chief Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar over the mandatory retirement age, and not necessarily
for purely legal motives.

Adrianus said that even though it might be common knowledge
that luxury car importers had allegedly been in collusion with
the National Police in the illegal importation, police had never
made an issue of it when it involved generals or family members
of generals, until this year.

"On one side, police have proof that there was this smuggling
case... on the other, there was a legal dispute between Da'i and
Sofjan. Sofjan was very vocal against Da'i. Even as Da'i may not
have initiated this investigation, he would not have a problem in
okaying it," Adrianus said.

He said that among the disadvantages of Law No. 2/2002 was
that it clearly stipulated that a crime allegedly committed by a
police officer would be investigated by police detectives.

"Even as the operational regulations have yet to be issued on
the law... police have launched investigations into the case,
which is a bit unfortunate, as it points at the true motive
behind this investigation. It's a test case for police," Adrianus
said, adding that the new law does not allow for the
investigation of criminal cases involving the police to be taken
over by state prosecutors.