Fugitive for 17 Years, Today Maria Set to Arrive Home
Maria was one of the suspects in the Bank BNI embezzlement case through a fictitious letter of credit (L/C) that occurred in 2003 and cost the country Rp 1.2 trillion.
By
PRAYOGI DWI SULISTYO/NOBERTUS ARYA DWIANGGA MARTIAR/DIAN DEWI PURNAMASARI/Sutta Dharmasaputra
·3 minutes read
ARSIP KEMENKUMHAM 08-07-2020
Maria Pauline Lumowa (orange vest), a fugitive from the BNI Kebayoran Baru Bank burglary case, South Jakarta, was led to a plane that would take her from Belgrade, Serbia, to Jakarta, Wednesday (8/7/2020).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- Maria Pauline Lumowa, a suspect in the Rp. 1.2 trillion embezzlement case at Bank BNI’s Kebayoran Baru branch, who has been on the run since 2003, is expected to arrive in the country Thursday (today). Maria departed from Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, through an extradition at the request of the Indonesian government.
"The success in completing this extradition process cannot be separated from legal diplomacy and good relations between the two countries," said Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H Laoly in a written statement received by Kompas on Wednesday (8/7).
Yasonna, who was in Serbia to pick her up, said Indonesia and Serbia had not yet been bound by an extradition treaty. However, the extradition could be realized because there was a high level approach with the officials of the Serbian government. "There was a legal effort from Maria to fail the process of extradition. There was also an effort from one of the European countries to prevent the extradition from being realized," said Yasonna.
Maria was arrested by Serbian Interpol NCB on 16 July 2019 at Nikola Tesla International Airport, Belgrade, based on Interpol\'s red notification number A-1361/12-2003 on 22 Dec. 2003. She was one of the suspects in the Bank BNI embezzlement case through a fictitious letter of credit (L/C) that occurred in 2003 and cost the country Rp 1.2 trillion.
Based on Kompas data (11/5/2006), during the 2003-2006 period, 13 people were sentenced in connection with the case. A month before being named a suspect by the National Police at the end of 2003, Maria was already in Singapore.
The Indonesian government had proposed an extradition with the Dutch government in 2010 and 2014. This was because Maria had been a Dutch citizen since 1979. However, the request was rejected. The Dutch gave a choice so that Maria could be tried in the Netherlands.
Maria Pauline Lumowa (orange vest), a fugitive in the case of the BNI Kebayoran Baru Bank burglary, South Jakarta, climbed the stairs of the plane that will take her from Belgrade, Serbia, to Jakarta, Wednesday (8/7/2020).
Hunt for Joko Tjandra
When Maria was arrested, the Bank Bali graft convict Joko Tjandra, who had been on the run since 2009 and recently registered a case review at the South Jakarta District Court on 8 June 2020, was still free.
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University professor Azyumardi Azra said that Joko should have been arrested if there is a will of the law enforcement officials.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD on Wednesday afternoon summoned a number of agencies related to the continuation of the hunt for Joko Tjandra. According to Mahfud, on that occasion all parties were optimistic and determined to immediately arrest Joko.
Mahfud said that the state was humiliated if it was fooled by a corruption convict and fugitive. Therefore, each agency was asked to compete in catching Joko Tjandra according to their respective authorities.
"How could our finest police be unable to arrest [Joko]? How could the Attorney General\'s Office be unable to catch? Based on my discussion with experts, that\'s actually a trivial matter. If you want to arrest someone, it\'s easy to locate. If you can\'t, that\'s too much," he said.
Thus, the Attorney General\'s Office and the National Police were asked to work hard to arrest Joko. The Law and Human Rights Ministry and the Home Ministry will support information regarding citizenship and immigration documents. Meanwhile, the palace, through the Executive Office of President, will support other necessary administrative instruments.
This case of graft fugitive, Mahfud added, also made the government committed to reviving the corruptor-hunting team. One of the tasks of the corruptor-hunting team is to bring home the corruption fugitives.
