The Indonesian intelligence community has pulled off a major coup, securing the extradition of high-profile fugitive Samadikun Hartono following his recent arrest in China without acquiescing to Beijing’s demand for the transfer of four Uighur terror convicts detained in Indonesia.

Samadikun, who fled the country 13 years ago after being convicted of misusing Bank Indonesia liquidity support funds (BLBI), arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport late on Thursday.

“We informed the Chinese authorities of his whereabouts and they were able to help. We greatly appreciate the Chinese government’s cooperation,” National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Sutiyoso told a press conference at the airport.

Sutiyoso said the Chinese authorities had decided to extradite Samadikun in spite of the Indonesian government’s refusal to give up four Uighur terror convicts currently locked up at a Jakarta prison.

“There has been no exchange whatsoever,” he said.

Attorney General M. Prasetyo added that Samadikun would be taken directly to Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta, his home for the next four years.

“But first he will have to undergo questioning and have his assets verified,” Prasetyo told reporters at Halim.

The Chinese authorities detained Samadikun last week on suspicion of passport falsification. Before his arrest, Samadikun had reportedly traveled in and out of China frequently by means of changing his identity. He was arrested in Shanghai, where he was intending to watch a Formula One race.

The fugitive was sentenced to four years prison in 2003 for his embezzlement of BLBI cash, which caused state losses amounting to Rp 169 billion (US$12.84 million).

The funds were supposed to be used to bail out his Modern Bank during the monetary crisis of 1998.

Samadikun was not the only fugitive brought back to the archipelago on Thursday. Arriving at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Thursday night was Hartawan Aluwi, a suspect in the Antaboga-Century investment scam.

Having been named a suspect in 2008, Hartawan, a commissioner at securities firm PT Antaboga Delta Sekuritas, was last year sentenced to 14 years in prison for embezzling Rp 1.3 trillion from hundreds of investors in the firm.

Hartawan’s accomplices in the scheme were Antaboga president director Hendro Wiyanto and executive Anton Tantular. Anton is the brother of Robert Tantular, a key shareholder in the now-defunct Bank Century.

Prasetyo said that the return of Samadikun meant the AGO’s efforts, in collaboration with the national intelligence community, had finally paid off. “We never sit idly by. We have a joint team with the BIN to hunt down all corrupt people and secure their assets,” he noted.

BIN’s list of fugitives numbers a further 28 convicts.

Prasetyo acknowledged that the Chinese authorities had initially requested the swap, but had accepted the government’s argument that there was no legal foundation to exchange the Uighur terror convicts with Samadikun, as the two cases were unrelated.

“I told [the Chinese authorities] that Samadikun was an Indonesian fugitive. He committed his crime in Indonesia. The four convicts may be Chinese nationals, but they also committed their crimes here. Eventually, the Chinese were persuaded. They supported our efforts to bring Samadikun back to Indonesia,” Prasetyo said.

China’s demand for the return of the Uighur prisoners is part of its campaign against terrorism and a simmering spat with Turkey over the cultural identity of the Uighur people, who are mostly Muslim and who speak a Turkic language.

The restive Xinjiang province in China, which is home to the minority, has long been considered a hotbed of terrorism.

The North Jakarta District Court sentenced the four Uighurs to six years in prison last year after finding them guilty of conspiring with the East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist group led by fugitive Santoso.

The court ruled that Ahmet Mahmut, Tuzer Abdul Basit, Altinci Bayram and Ahmed Bozoglan were guilty of violating the antiterrorism and immigration laws. The men were arrested in September 2014 as they attempted to link up with Santoso in Central Sulawesi.

Earlier on Thursday, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said that Indonesia and China should engage in another round of talks over the terror convicts.

“Regarding the Uighurs, we will discuss the matter separately, as it is an entirely different legal case. The issues would risk becoming muddled,” he said.
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