Bali Police: The Submission Of Buron Interpol To Australia According To Canadian Requests

Bali Police personnel escorted Canadian Interpol fugitive Stephane Gagnon to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali, Thursday (8/6/2023). ANTARA/Rolandus Nampu

DENPASAR - The Bali Regional Police stated that the handover of a Canadian citizen namedSTEphane Gagnon who became an Interpol fugitive to Australia was a request from Interpol Canada because Indonesia and Canada did not have extradition cooperation agreements.

The Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police, Kombes Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto, said that the process of handing over the fugitive Interpol Canada Stephane Gagnon (SG) was carried out tonight because his detention period for 20 days had expired and could not be extended.

"Today we are carrying out activities to remove Canadian prisoners who have been (detained) for 20 days to go to the airport for overhanding to Immigration. Later, the Immigration Office will coordinate with Interpol Australia to be taken to Interpol Canada because we have no cooperation with Canada regarding extradition, so through Australia," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, June 8.

Satake explained that SG would be escorted by two personnel from the Police International Relations Division and one Bali Police personnel to get to Australia. After the red notice was handed over to Interpol Australia, only then did Interpol Australia hand it over to Interpol Canada.

However, before the process of handing over to immigration, SG refused to be expelled from Bali Police detention because he felt the action was not in accordance with applicable legal procedures considering that his attorney had filed a pretrial lawsuit related to the arrest and report of alleged extortion by members of the National Police.

"The person concerned (obscenity) is about activities at Immigration because he is being extradited here, why was he deported, even though it is a system. But, after we suggest that data collection activities at Immigration have been carried out at the airport, we are releasing prisoners with an extradition system," said Satake.

He explained that the extradition process against SG was based on a request from the Canada Government and was confirmed in accordance with applicable standard operating procedures.

However, the steps proposed by SG's attorney by filing a pretrial are still ongoing, including reports of extortion allegedly carried out by members of the police from the National Police Headquarters.

"It is still a process, it is still a process. There are no problems, everything that is reported is related to extortion, the pretrial submitted by the lawyer is also a temporary process. We'll just have to wait from the court regarding this matter," he said.

Before being taken to immigration, SG had a chance to argue with the officer who brought him and refused to sign the minutes.

Head of Sub-Directorate IV of the Bali Police General Criminal Investigation Directorate AKBP Ni Luh Kompyang Srinadi explained that the tension occurred because SG refused to be handed over to Immigration.

However, the Bali Police are still carrying out the handover to Immigration because their prison term at the Bali Police has expired.

"Earlier, the person concerned refused. We removed the detainees because the detention time was up today and there was time for us to process it at Immigration, so he refused, was not cooperative. So, we made a report on rejection. Twice he didn't want it, we immediately brought it," said Kompyang.

He said SG insisted that the process was odd because he was extradited, but was then deported from Indonesia.

"He asked for the administration from overhanding from Immigration to be complete. In fact, from Immigration he needed the relevant data for the administration of the implementation of overhanding and deportation. So, there he didn't want to," he said.

Meanwhile, MaruliHarahap, Stephane Gagnon's attorney, said he would continue to oversee the legal process against his client even though SG was deported from Indonesia.

"We will continue to provide assistance to SG, defend his rights in accordance with human rights. Later we will talk to the team first, whether the lawyers will accompany him until Canada or what," Maruli said.