T

he Supreme Court (MA) has handed down a heavier sentence to a low-ranking Papua Police officer, Adj. Comr. Labora Sitorus, increasing his prison term from eight to 15 years.

A panel of justices at the court, consisting of presiding judge Artidjo Alkostar, Sri Murwahyuni and Surya Jaya, unanimously decided on Wednesday that Labora was guilty of committing illegal logging, fuel smuggling and money laundering in the resource-rich province.

The court panel also ordered Labora to pay Rp 5 billion (US$417,258) in fines, a significant increase from the Rp 15 million fine handed down by the Sorong District Court and later upheld by the Papua High Court.

Labora made headlines in June of last year after the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) revealed that the officer, who earns a monthly salary of around Rp 3 million, was linked to bank transactions totaling Rp 1.5 trillion between 2007 and 2012.

A police investigation revealed that Labora gained his fortune from running companies that illegally traded timber and subsidized fuel.

Labora, his wife and other relatives were listed as the companies'€™ executives. It is alleged that dozens of police officials were implicated in the illicit businesses.

In February, the Sorong District Court in West Papua sentenced Labora to two years in prison for illegal logging and fuel stockpiling.

That court'€™s panel, however, dismissed the charge of money laundering.

Prosecutors had demanded a 15-year prison sentence and Rp 100 million in fines.

The Papua High Court reversed the dismissal to find Labora guilty of money laundering and increased his prison term to eight years.

Despite the court'€™s heavier punishment, several anti-corruption activists had criticized it for being too lenient.

Others have praised the latest MA ruling.

When asked about the Supreme Court'€™s verdict on Labora, National Police Commission (Kompolnas) member Edi Hasibuan praised the court and hoped the heavier sentence would discourage other police officers from committing malfeasance.

'€œThe ruling should be seen as a warning for the National Police to closely monitor their officers and prevent them from committing any wrongdoings,'€ he said.

Edi also urged the National Police to investigate and expose police officials who allegedly benefited from Labora'€™s illegal logging and fuel smuggling businesses.

During the investigation into his case, Labora told Kompolnas and the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) that he had paid bribes to 33 police officials, including the Papua Police chief.

'€œThe National Police need to prove that they will act against any corrupt officers and not just Labora. The police need to look into the police precincts chiefs, officials and retired officials mentioned by Labora,'€ Edi said.

When asked about the complicity of other police officials in the case, National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said: '€œThe force has launched an internal investigation to study the allegations. So far, we have not found evidence for such offenses.'€