The Fugitives (3): Achmad Djunaedi

It’s just so easy for big guys like Achmad Djunaedi, former president director of PT Jamsostek, the monopoly on worker’s fund management to get the exit permit stamp at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta for overseas travels.

Even if you are not a millionaire, you could just relax at one of the coffee shops while someone is taking care of your immigration permit along with its boarding pass with only Rp200,000 or US$20 fee.

So when director general of immigration got the letter from attorney general stating that Mr Djunaedi is forbidden for any overseas travel on July 4, 2005, it was just a piece of paper. The main suspect in a Rp250 billion (US$25 million) corruption case, Mr Djunaedi managed to get the clear stamp from Jakarta Immigration Office on July 5, 2005 and boarded safely to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.

Djunaedi is smart enough to prepare his pilgrimage while investigators summoned him late last month. That time, he was still a witness for his former colleague Mr Andi Rahman Alamsyah who already tipped as key suspect in corruption case of buying subordinated bonds issued by PT Bank Global Tbk. Government closed down the bank late last year with its key suspect and owner Irawan Salim also a fugitive since then.

Kompas wrote an article today titled Suspect went overseas, Attorney General Upset. Upset? AG, as the newspaper reported, criticized directorate general of immigration for letting Djunaedi go overseas.

Well, in this case, it is not just immigration office that should be blamed on. The AGO should take the responsibility for not detaining Djunaedi. Public was cheering AG when board members of Bank Mandiri detained all at once despite guarantee letter signed by prominent politicians for those bankers.

Off course we should reserve positive thinking that Djunaedi is on a pilgrimage and will back home soon. But who knows if that’s going to be a lifetime pilgrimage? For the time being, let’s put Djunaedi on our fugitive list. Someone should also investigate why AGO let this happen? Is there any conspiracy between AGO and Djunaedi?

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