13 Years on the Run, Fugitive Faces Deportation from Singapore
Having been on the run for 13 years, illegal logging convict Adelin Lis, now in the custody of Singaporean authorities, is set to be deported to Jakarta.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·4 minutes read
KOMPAS.COM
Adelin Lis on trial in 2007.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The fugitive in the case of illegal logging in Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra, Adelin Lis, who has been arrested by Singaporean authorities, will soon be repatriated to Indonesia.
He was sentenced by the Supreme Court to 10 years in prison for his crimes. His arrest is expected to be followed by the finding and repatriation of other fugitives to the country.
Last year, Indonesia repatriated Maria Pauline Lumowa from Serbia. She had fled following the unfolding of the embezzlement crime on Bank BNI Kebayoran Baru, causing a state loss of Rp 1.2 trillion.
In the same year, the government flew home Joko Tjandra, a fugitive in the Bank Bali case, from Malaysia.
Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin said in a written statement on Wednesday (16/6/2021) that they had requested Singapore\'s consent for Adelin to be picked up and taken to Jakarta to serve his prison term.
Efforts are reportedly being sought by certain circles to fly him on a commercial flight to Medan, instead of Jakarta, to serve his sentence in his hometown.
Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore, Suryopratomo, said the embassy was ready to support the implementation of the plan by the Attorney General\'s Office.
METRO TV
Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo
On a separate occasion, Arya Pradhana Anggakara, the head of public relations and general affairs of the directorate general of immigration at the Law and Human Rights Ministry, said that the immigration office and related institutions would coordinate to assist in Adelin’s repatriation from Singapore in accordance with their respective authorities, duties and functions.
While on the run, Adelin was found guilty for illegal logging in Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra.
In late September 2006, the owner of PT Mujur Timber Group and PT Keang Nam Development Indonesia was arrested in Beijing, China and brought to Indonesia. However, the Medan District Court acquitted him (Kompas, 7/11/2007) and he had since disappeared.
In the cassation proceedings, the Supreme Court (MA) upheld his prosecution by sentencing him to 10 years in prison and ordering him to pay Rp 119.8 billion in fines and US$2.93 million in compensation for reforestation funds. However, it appeared difficult for the prosecutor\'s office to execute the sentence as Adelin’s whereabouts were unknown (Kompas, 2/8/2008).
Seeking direct pick-up
According to Leonard Eben Ezer Simanjuntak, the head of the Attorney General\'s center for information, the Attorney General had told law enforcement officers to pick Adelin up directly from Singapore.
"Based on 2006 experience, when Adelin Lis was about to be arrested at the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, he and his bodyguards fought back and attacked the staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing," he said.
When contacted, the chairman of the prosecutor\'s commission, Barita Simanjuntak, acknowledged that he had been informed about Adelin’s detention in Singapore. "We know the prosecutor\'s office is working hard. Because it is a cross-country dealing, both formal and informal procedures need to be followed consistently. [It potentially poses] more complicated obstacles," he said.
He encouraged the prosecutor\'s office, which holds the central executing authority, to follow up Adelin’s catch with efforts to get other fugitives from abroad.
KPH VIII KOTANOPAN
Illustration. The landslide that occurred in the protected forest area of Muara Saladi Village, Ulu Pungkut District, Mandailing Natal Regency, North Sumatra, Monday (15/10/2018).
Singaporean court
While on the run, Adelin was found to have forged his passport using the name Hendro Leonardi. He was arrested by Singaporean authorities in 2018 after the country\'s immigration office found identical data for two different names.
The immigration office notified the finding to the immigration attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, asking for a confirmation that the two different names were held by the same person. Data at the directorate general of immigration later confirmed it.
Pleading guilty, Adelin was sentenced by a Singaporean court on 9 June to pay S$ 14,000 in fines, which would be disbursed twice a week, ordered to turn Hendro Leonardi\'s passport over to the Indonesian government, and faced deportation to Indonesia.
While on the run, Adelin was found to have forged his passport using the name Hendro Leonardi.
According to Leonard, the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore coordinated with the Attorney General of Singapore to directly pick-up the culprit, as he was sought by the Indonesian Supreme Court.
The Attorney General of Singapore has said it understands the magnitude of the case, but the deportation procedures rest with the Singapore immigration office and the ministry of home affairs.
On June 16, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore decided against granting consent for direct pick-up of the convict. Based on the Singapore law, Adelin Lis will only be deported on a commercial flight. (NAD/TRA/PDS/SUT)
