Vasindo to take police to court

JAKARTA: Vasindo Group, a prepaid telephone calling card operator and internet service provider, intends to haul the police before the State Administrative Court, saying that a recent police raid on the company involved substantial financial and moral issues.

"This week we'll serve a legal notice on the police. If they do not respond to our notice satisfactorily then we'll take them to the administrative court," Tommy Sihotang, the company's lawyer, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said that Vasindo could no longer carry on business as the Police were blocking its access code. Consumers who had bought the company's prepaid cards were unable to use them due to the police action.

According to him, the police's move against operators such as Vasindo had created the impression among the public that they were illegal, although they had already secured licenses from state-owned telecommunications company, PT Telkom, and the Ministry of Transportation.

The police recently raided prepaid telephone calling card operators and internet service providers, including the Vasindo Group, accusing them of misusing their licenses.

Tommy said that the police raids showed that Telkom and the ministry were discriminating against them and creating legal uncertainty. --JP