Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Archipelago | Wed, January 28 2015, 9:47 PM
The Sorong Prosecutor’s Office said it was continuing to pursue Labora Sitorus, a Raja Ampat Police precinct officer with a bank account containing Rp 1.5 trillion (US$119.8 million), who had fled after he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of Rp 5 billion.
“Sitorus has been included on the Sorong Prosecutor’s Office most wanted list [DPO] because he vanished when we wanted to execute the Supreme Court verdict after it ruled against his appeal,” Sorong Prosecutor’s Office head Damrah Muin told The Jakarta Post in Sorong, Papua, on Wednesday.
He said the Prosecutor’s Office issued the DPO after its officers, who were going to execute the court verdict, could not find Sitorus at either the Sorong Penitentiary or his home in Sorong.
Originally, the Sorong District Court sentenced Sitorus to two years in prison and fined him Rp 500 million. The prosecutors appealed the verdict and the Papua High Court accepted the appeal and sentenced the policeman to eight years in prison.
Sitorus’ lawyers then filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal and increased both the sentence and the fine.
Damrah said the verdict should have been executed on Nov. 4, 2014.
“Anyone who sees or knows the whereabouts of Labora Sitorus ought to immediately report it to Sorong Prosecutor’s Office,” said Damrah, citing the DPO letter.
Sorong Penitentiary warden, Maliki Hasan, said Sitorus had left the detention facility on March 17, 2014, saying he wanted to seek medical treatment. The prison’s physician, who had examined Sitorus, said the policeman suffered pains in his waist while his right leg was numb.
“Since then, he has never returned to the prison; consequently Sorong Prosecutor’s Office issued a DPO letter,” said Maliki.