Taskforce questions Riau Police on halted investigation of 14 timber firms

The Judicial Corruption Taskforce says it has found “peculiarities” in the issuance by Riau Police of letters ordering a halt to investigations (SP3) into alleged violations by 14 timber companies operating in Riau forests.

The taskforce said the peculiarities included Riau prosecutors' office's use of testimonies from two Forestry Ministry officers, BS and BW, which had led to a conclusion that no crimes had been committed; while abandoning testimonies from other witnesses, including law experts, suggesting otherwise.

“The testimonies from BS and BW are not appropriate because the two witnesses don't have the qualifications to be law experts who could make such conclusions,” the taskforce said in a press statement distributed on Friday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

“Forestry Ministry officers shouldn't have been made experts because the Forestry Ministry was involved in the issuance of the [operating] licenses [to the timber companies],” the statement reads.

The taskforce says it will soon send a letter to National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo to recommend the revocation of the SP3 concerning all 14 companies.