Anti-graft – Evening Report

Indonesian police arrest Djoko – PNG’s ‘Joe Chan’ – as fugitive

Asia Pacific Report — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 07:17:57 +0000

Controversial Papua New Guinea citizen Joe Chan has been arrested in Malaysia – this time under the name Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra.

And also this time as an Indonesian, a wanted and convicted fugitive and graft convict, reports the PNG Post-Courier.

He has been on the run for 11 years. Last Thursday he was brought back to Indonesia.

Guarded by personnel from the police’s Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim), Tjandra landed at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta last Thursday evening.

Tjandra was first arrested in September 1999 for his involvement in the high-profile Bank Bali corruption case. He was acquitted by the South Jakarta District Court in 2000.

After the Attorney-General’s Office filed a request for review, the Supreme Court sentenced Tjandra to two years jail in 2009 and ordered him to pay Rp 546 billion (US$54 million) in restitution.

However, Tjandra fled to Papua New Guinea a day before the court ruling and had remained at large ever since.

PNG citizenship sparked inquiry
Controversially, Tjandra was granted PNG citizenship, which sparked criticism and prompted the Ombudsman Commission to launch an inquiry into the matter.

Bareskrim head Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the arrest had been made possible through cooperation between Indonesian police and their Malaysian counterparts.

“The National Police chief sent a letter to the Malaysian police to help with searching the fugitive and, Alhamdulillah [thank God], we managed to locate him [on Thursday] afternoon,” he said in a televised statement after arriving at the airport.

“This is also the answer to public doubts as to whether the police could catch [the fugitive], and today we have [delivered on] our commitment to arrest Djoko Tjandra,” Listyo said as he thanked the Malaysian police for cooperating with the arrest.

Following his arrival, Tjandra was immediately taken to the Bareskrim headquarters for further questioning.

Returned to Indonesia undetected
Tjandra recently made headlines as he managed to return to the country undetected and request a case review over his conviction with the South Jakarta District Court in early June.

He reportedly filed his plea after obtaining a new electronic ID card and passport, in addition to having his Interpol red notice status lifted.

The court, however, dropped his case review plea on Tuesday after Tjandra, who was reported to be residing in Malaysia, failed to show up for the hearing four times.

Tjandra’s legal team said that the fugitive was not able to attend trial due to his poor health.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Indonesia to probe murder ‘involving ex-president’ claim by former anti-graft head

Pacific Media Centre — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 14:24:33 +0000

AsiaPacificReport.nz

Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Antasari Azhar attending a recent election debate in Jakarta. Image: Hafidz Mubarak/Antara

By Ainur Rohmah in Jakarta

Police will investigate the allegations made by a former head of an Indonesian anti-corruption body who has accused an ex-president of being involved in the murder of a businessman in 2009, police have announced.

Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said authorities would investigate whether there were any criminal grounds in the claims.

In 2010, Corruption Eradication Commission Chairman Antasari Azhar was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing a businessman in 2009.

However, Azhar was released from prison last year after he received a pardon from President Joko Widodo.

Following his release, Azhar accused former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of being the mastermind behind the killing.

The murder took place when authorities were investigating alleged corruption of Yudhoyono’s in-laws.

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Speaking at a press conference in the capital Jakarta, Azhar said: “I beg him [Yudhoyono] to explain what he did, if he ordered anyone to do anything, I beg Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to be honest and be open to the public,” according to local media metrotvnews.com.

Question more people
Azhar urged police to question more people in the case and clear his name.

“To clear my name, I ask the police to seriously deal with this. I ask everyone involved to be held responsible,” he said.

Yudhoyono has denied all allegations, saying he was going to take legal action to defend himself.

“Antasari’s accusation that seemed to me as the initiator of the case, is clearly not true. I would definitely take legal action against Antasari,” the former president tweeted via his account @SBYudhoyono.

He also said the allegations were an attempt to destroy the credibility of his son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who was running for in the elections for Jakarta’s governorship.

Azhar claimed that Yudhoyono had instructed tycoon Hary Tanoesoedibjo to visit him a few weeks before his arrest to ask him not to detain former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan, who had been implemented in corruption, reports The Jakarta Post.

At the press conference at the National Police Criminal Investigation Department in Jakarta, Antasari added that Yudhoyono and Aulia Pohan were related through the marriage of their children.

Azhar spoke up after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo granted clemency to him, saying there were irregularities in the case.

Azhar was released on parole after serving eight years of his sentence. The President granted him clemency not long after.

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