South Kalimantan Police Reveals Police Involved In Illegal Desertion Business Case

Head of Public Relations of the South Kalimantan Police, Kombes Mochamad Rifa'i/ANTARA

BANJARMASIN - The South Kalimantan Regional Police revealed that the police officer with the initials AB who was involved in a criminal act in the illegal timber business was a deserter because he had long left his official duties at the Hulu Sungai Utara Police.

"The person concerned has deserted from his unit for about a year now," said Head of Public Relations of the South Kalimantan Police, Kombes Mochamad Rifa'i, in Banjarmasin, as reported by Antara, Thursday, March 31.

For this disciplinary behavior, the AB with the rank of Aipda has been included in the search list by the Propam Division of the South Kalimantan Police.

Rifa'i said that AB was threatened with internal sanctions that were quite heavy considering the disciplinary and criminal violations he had committed.

"If it is deemed that the leadership is no longer worthy of being a member of the National Police, the heaviest sanction is PTHD (disrespectful dismissal)," he said.

It is known that AB was arrested by the Gakkum Sub-Directorate of the Water and Air Police Directorate (Ditpolairud) of the South Kalimantan Police for allegedly being involved in the illegal timber business.

AB was named a suspect along with three other people in the case of transporting timber without legal documents using a boat on the Banjarmasin Alalak River.

The results of the investigation revealed that AB was the owner of 245 pieces of illegal logs confiscated from the KM Berkat Rahim ship. The wood with a total of 35.89 cubic meters consists of various types such as meranti, starur, terentang and jambon from Tambak Bajai Village, Dadahup District, Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan to be sold to Banjarmasin.

The suspect was charged with Article 83 paragraph 1 letter B of the Republic of Indonesia Law No. 18 of 2013 concerning Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction with a minimum threat of 1 year and a maximum of 5 years and a minimum fine of IDR 500 million and a maximum of IDR 2.5 billion.