Shoeshine boys released, face legal proceeding
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Fri, 06/26/2009 9:34 PM
The Tangerang prosecutors’ office in Banten decided on Friday to release the 10 children arrested for allegedly gambling and offering illegal shoe-shining services at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The prosecutors’ office made the decision after the airport police handed them over along with their dossiers earlier in the day, after keeping the minors at the children’s penitentiary for almost a month.
“We’re releasing them from detention for their own interests, but the legal proceedings will continue,” said Tangerang chief prosecutor Suyono.
He added prosecutors would first study the case, and if the dossiers were complete, it would be handed to the Tangerang District Court for trial.
The threat of imprisonment still looms large over the shoeshine boys, prosecutor Rezky Diniarti said in a phone interview.
She said their release was only temporary, until their trial to determine their punishment.
“They did something illegal, which was to gamble, and they must be punished for it,” she said, adding the exact date for the trial had not been determined yet.
The airport police apprehended the minors on May 31, while the boys were placing bets on coin tosses.
The move was part of the “Clean Airport” campaign, launched a year ago by the state-owned airport operator.
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