Paras Indonesia, October, 05 2006 @ 07:12 pm
It Pays To Be Top Cop
By: Roy Tupai
National Police chief General Sutanto says a massive increase in his personal wealth
over the past five years can be accounted for, although so far he's unwilling to explain
precisely where his fortune came from. Could it be linked to the fact that his pledge to
eradicate gambling has failed miserably, with illegal casinos continuing to operate
above the law in Indonesia?
Sutanto has come under criticism after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
this week revealed that his wealth had soared from Rp2.4 billion ($260,700) on
December 27, 2001, to Rp5.931 billion ($544,380) by June 6, 2006. KPK said his
bank deposits had leapt from Rp75 million to Rp4.2 billion over the period. Not bad for
a man regarded by some as an "honest cop"- given that so many Indonesian police
resort to corruption to augment their meager salaries. Then again, his wealth is
peanuts in comparison to the fortunes of certain other generals and ex-generals, such
as former military chief Wiranto, who ahead of the 2004 presidential election declared
personal assets of Rp46.215 billion ($5 million).
Sutanto graduated from the Police Division of the Armed Forces Academy in 1973,
the same year that his close friend Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono graduated from the
Military Division. He spent most his early career on the force in Jakarta, rising to the
rank of Kebayoran Baru Police chief in 1980. In 1990 he was promoted to chief of the
Provost Division of the East Java Police.
From 1992-94 he was police chief of the East Java city of Sidoarjo, where a women's
labor rights activist named Marsinah was abducted in 1993 before being brutally raped
and murdered after leading a strike for minimum wage at the watch factory where she
worked. Sutanto did nothing to unmask her killers, widely believed to be members of
the military. Instead, police arrested several executives of the factory and had them
charged with the murder. They were eventually exonerated because it was obvious
they had been used as scapegoats.
Sutanto went on to serve as an adjutant to then president Suharto from 1995-98. In
2000, he was appointed police chief of North Sumatra province. One of the major
cases that he failed to solve was the August 2000 abduction and murder of Jafar
Siddiq Hamzah, a US citizen and Acehnese human rights activist who has
campaigned against Indonesian military violence.
Next, Sutanto served as police chief of East Java from October 2000 to October 2002.
In July 2001, the radical Islamic paramilitary group Laskar Jihad began shipping
thousands fighters and weapons from East Java to the Maluku islands to wage war on
Christians. Then president Abdurrahman Wahid banned Laksar Jihad from leaving
Java, but the East Java Police chief did little to stop the group.
After his stint in East Java, Sutanto served as head of the National Police's Education
and Training Institute until February 2005. He then became head of the National
Narcotics Agency. In July 2005 he was appointed National Police chief. He quickly
announced that he would eradicate gambling within a week. This followed by a few
raids on some low-end casinos and gaming parlors, but the big places were
untouched and things were soon back to normal within a couple of months.
Two weeks after his appointment, Sutanto called for the minimum police wage - then
about Rp760,000 a month - to be increased to Rp7 million a month. In August 2006,
he proposed the minimum police wage be raised to Rp8.3 million a month. His
proposed pay increases have not transpired, so many police continue to find other
ways to make money. One favorite entrepreneurial tactic is stopping motorists and
demanding bribes if they fail to present all required documents. Then there are the
many pay-offs from various businesses, some legal, some illegal.
In December 2005, there was some debate over the salary levels of top state officials
after the release of a Finance Ministry document that showed the president received
total monthly pay of Rp62.74 million (including allowances), while state ministers, the
attorney general and Indonesian Defense Forces commander received a total of
Rp18,648,000. Interestingly, the National Police chief was not on the ministry's list of
salaries for top officials. But at that time, a non-government organization called
Indonesian Police Watch said the National Police chief's monthly salary was Rp18
million a month.
In earning Rp3.531 billion in under six years (54 months, to be precise), Sutanto has
been averaging Rp65.4 million per month, well above the the standard brown envelope.
Sutanto on Wednesday (4/10/06) said all of his wealth could be accounted for and he
was ready to periodically report his earnings to KPK. "It is the obligation of those
running the country to report their wealth wealth periodically. I will fulfill this
obligation,"he was quoted as saying by detikcom online news portal.
But when asked where his wealth came from, he would only say that it was from
"various foundations, committees and interdepartmental allowances".
National Police spokesman Paulus Purwoko said it was only "logical"that Sutanto's
wealth had increased by almost 150% over five years because he is the country's top
policeman and therefore receives many allowances. "The National Police chief is the
one who knows about that. What's clear is that in his position it's logical he receives
that salary, otherwise his allowances will be eaten away,"he said. He refused to reveal
Sutanto's official salary and total monthly allowances.
"It's like this, for example, the National Police has foundations. As their manager, he
[Sutanto] will receive additional allowances and then his policeman's insurance,"he
said. Purwoko seemed afraid to say much else and suggested that any further
questions be directed to Sutanto.
Indonesian Police Watch chairman Neta S. Pane said Sutanto must honestly explain
how he accumulated his fortune. "Sutanto must transparently explain from where he
got his wealth, as the increase of the value of his wealth is significant. The people
must know the sources of his wealth,"he was quoted as saying by state news agency
Antara.
He said KPK should examine whether or not his wealth was obtained legitimately.
"We should know the reason for the abnormal increase in Sutanto's riches, but we
should not think negatively because Sutanto may have got his wealth from an
inheritance or shares in different companies."
Several legislators have also asked that Sutanto explain his wealth, but they don't
seem to be too concerned.
KPK director of wealth reporting and monitoring Muhammad Sigit said Sutanto had
reported that his bank deposits were not from third parties. He said Sutanto's wealth
had grown because of increases in allowances and his ability to save.
He said the police chief's wealth in terms of automobile assets had actually fallen
from Rp935 million in 2001 to Rp331 million in 2006 because he had sold four cars
and bought one valued at Rp251 million and a motorcycle priced at Rp80 million. "It is
possible, as the money from the sale of the four cars was deposited [in his bank
accounts],"he added.
Sigit said Sutanto's other assets, such as jewelry valued at Rp83 million and property
worth Rp1.307 billion, had not changed over the past five years.
It's unclear when KPK will examine the sources of Sutanto's wealth. Sigit said KPK
has so far this year checked 100 wealth reports of senior officials and still has another
80 reports to verify. He said some of the reports had aroused suspicion, but he
stopped short of saying whether any corruption investigations would be launched.
Separately, National Police deputy chief Commissioner General Adang Daradjatun
denied that Sutanto had lined his pockets with driver's license fees or other sources of
state revenue collected by police. "That's impossible because that has become state
revenue and is outside the National Police chief's authority,"he said.
He also played down the contributions from the police foundations, saying they had
already become independent of the police "apart from looking after National Police
officials".
So next time one of the boys in brown demands a bribe, advise him to seek a loan
from his boss. Better still, ask him why he's not tracking down Norodin Mohammad
Top or the mastermind's of Munir's murder. Could be that honesty is a lousy
paymaster.
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