T

he National Police will question the direct superiors of Adj. First Insp. Labora Sitorus over their involvement in his suspicious 'businesses', a top official said.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Sutarman said on Tuesday that the force's Internal Affairs Division (Propam) was in Papua to interrogate and investigate. 'Propam deals with ethical issues. A district police chief should be aware if his subordinate is running illegal businesses. It is the responsibility of a leader to have control over his subordinates,' he said in Cawang, East Jakarta.

The low-ranking officer Labora is accused of controlling at least 60 bank accounts through which over Rp 1 trillion (US$102 million) has passed in five years.

Police suspect that Labora, who is being held by in Papua, earned a fortune from his family's illegal logging and fuel smuggling.

On Saturday, Labora reportedly told the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) members that he had wired money for 'charity-related programs' to several superiors.

None of Kompolnas' members are willing to provide details of the recipients of Labora's charitable munificence.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian has declined to give an opinion of Labora's claim.

'I don't want to make assumptions. Mass media can say that, but as a public official, I can not make a statement without evidence,' he said in Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday.

Following Labora's arrest, Tito instructed district police chiefs in Papua to improve internal supervision. 'If such a case happens again, the perpetrator's chief will have failed to supervise his subordinates, even if he is not implicated directly.'

Labora joined the force 27 years ago has been stationed at the popular dive site of Raja Ampat in West Papua since 2006. Before that, he was a member of the Sorong Police in West Papua.

The Papua Police, under the guidance of the National Police, will press charges against Labora for relating to illegal logging by PT Rotua and fuel smuggling by PT Seno Adi Wijaya (PT SAW). The companies are controlled by Labora's wife, brother-in-law and children.

The Papua Police confiscated 15,000 logs, 1,500 blocks and 81 containers of timber in Papua and Surabaya, East Java, in late March from PT Rotua intended for export to China, and three barges carrying 1 million liters of diesel fuel off Sorong, West Papua, from PT SAW.

Labora faces a maximum penalty of only seven years' imprisonment under the 1999 Forestry Law, the Oil and Gas Law and the Money Laundering Law. National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said PT SAW director Jimmy Lagesang was a suspect fuel smuggler, but had not been detained as he faces less than five years in prison under the Oil and Gas Law.

According to Kompolnas member M. Nasser, Labora claimed that his family ran lawful businesses and that he did not possess a staggering fortune.

'During the meeting, he claimed Rp 5 billion in assets but over Rp 3 billion in debts, resulting to a total wealth of more than Rp 1 billion,' Nasser said on Tuesday over the phone.