Jakarta Globe,
SP/Novianti Setuningsih & Rizky Amelia, Jul 26, 2014
Tangerang. Indonesia’s anti-corruption authority arrested figures from the country’s military and police in addition to several gangsters on Friday night and Saturday morning over a decade-long scheme extorting migrant workers.
A passenger leaves Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, in Jakarta, in this file photo. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno) |
Tangerang. Indonesia’s anti-corruption authority arrested figures from the country’s military and police in addition to several gangsters on Friday night and Saturday morning over a decade-long scheme extorting migrant workers.
Chairman of
the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Abraham Samad said the 18 people
detained included a soldier, two police officers and career criminals. The 18
people had extorted migrant workers over a decade, the KPK said.
Abraham
said the KPK had not arrested anyone from the manpower ministry’s migrant
worker agency— but that his investigators were looking into potential
involvement.
“We will
investigate further the involvement of other parties,” Abraham said in a press
conference. “The involvement of the agency for the Placement and Protection of
Indonesian Migrant Workers [BNP2TKI] should not be ruled out. In time, we will
find the involvement of BNP2TKI.”
The KPK led
the raid with support from the National Police, the Presidential Unit for
Supervision, Control and Development (UKP4), and the airport operator, Angkasa
Pura II. The operation was based on existing intelligence, but the authorities
acted on Friday because of the high number of travelers arriving for the Idul
Fitri holiday.
“I heard
from [KPK] investigators that there was a Pakistan national who was asked to
pay a taxi fare of US$ 200,” said Bambang Widjojanto, KPK’s deputy chairman. “A
Slovakian was asked to pay even more — $250.”
The
National Police’s investigations chief Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius said the
soldier and the police officers forced the migrant workers to use specific
taxis, which were set up to shake down the vulnerable passengers. Suhardi said
the suspects had been stationed at Soekarno-Hatta by their police and army
commands, which was how they knew the inner-workings of the airport and were,
allegedly, able to run the racket over such a long period.
“This is
only the beginning, we will investigate further and will reveal the network,”
Suhardi said.
The
suspects also ran a foreign exchange scam.
Abraham
also questioned an officer at immigration, saying he had seen foreigners having
to place money in their passports in order to pass through immigration.
“Why do
foreign nationals passing here have to put money in their passport?” Abraham
asked the officer.
The officer
denied the accusation, but Abraham said he had seen money changing hands.
A KPK
deputy chairman, Adnan Pandu Praja, searched the offices at the immigration
checkpoint but did not find any evidence.
An investigation continues.
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