Singapore Immigration in Mailing Contact since 2018

DOKUMENTASI KEJAKSAAN TINGGI SUMATERA UTARA

Adelin Lis

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Between 2018 and 2021, immigration authorities in Singapore or the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is believed to have sent letters to the Indonesian authorities four times asking for clarification on the identity of Adelin Lis, a fugitive of illegal logging cases in Mandailing Natal regency, North Sumatra. However, the Attorney General\'s Office only realized about Adelin\'s whereabouts in Singapore after the fourth letter was issued in March 2021.

Therefore, in addition to seeking for Adelin\'s return to the country, the Attorney General\'s Office also needs to explain the notification from the ICA, which has existed since 2018.

From the documents received by Kompas, ICA has sent four letters addressed to the competent authorities at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, namely on 12 June 2018, 19 November 2018, 3 July 2019, and 4 March 2021. The letter contained a request for confirmation regarding two names, namely Adelin Lis and Hendro Leonardi.

Also read:

> 13 Years on the Run, Fugitive Faces Deportation from Singapore

> Fugitive Hunting Not Over Yet

> Fugitive for 17 Years, Today Maria Set to Arrive Home

In the letter dated 12 June 2018 with reference number D/0002284/18, ICA, for example, explained that Adelin Lis was prosecuted in Singapore for giving a false statement when filling out the disembarkation form when entering Singapore with passport B7348735 in the name of Hendro Leonardi issued by the South Jakarta Class I Immigration Office in 2017. The letter said that when asked, he claimed his real name was Adelin Lis, who got the identity of Hendro Leonardi in 2008. The ICA letter also said that he had been a fugitive in Indonesia since 19 November 2007.

In the same letter, ICA asked for clarification whether Adelin and Hendro are the same person; which is the real identity; and whether the passport B7348735 was legally issued by the authorities in Indonesia.

KOMPAS/KHAERUDIN

Adelin Lis on trial in 22/10/2007.

Regarding the request for confirmation of Adelin\' identity and passport in the name of Hendro Leonardi, the Head of Public Relations of the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Tubagus Erif Faturahman, Thursday (17/6/2021), said the immigration staff was making a chronology related to Adelin\'s passport. Meanwhile, the Head of Public Relations and General Affairs of the Directorate General of Immigration at the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Arya Pradhana Anggakara, said he needed time to confirm Adelin\'s passport.

At a press conference in Jakarta, when asked about communication from ICA Singapore regarding Adelin since 2018, the Head of the Attorney General\'s Office for Legal Information, Leonard Eben Ezer Simanjuntak, said that Adelin\'s arrest was only known after a letter from ICA to the Indonesian Embassy on 4 March 2021.

"Regarding 2018 until now, we just, as I said earlier, on 4 March, the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore just received a letter from the ICA. And, from then on we did the process. This is a process in the Singapore justice system. It\'s been quite a while," Leonard said.

Also read:

> Totality in Catching Fugitives

> Playing with Law

The chairman of the Prosecutor\'s Commission, Barita Simanjuntak, said that the long lag between Adelin\'s arrest in 2018 and the letter to the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore on 4 March 2021 needs to be explained. What actually happened needs to be disclosed to the public, especially since during that period there were already letters from the Singapore immigration authority to the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore. “If there is such an allegation, it must be investigated. Because, if it\'s a crime like this, surely he (Adelin) has a wide and transnational network," said Barita.

To reduce the possibility that the convict become a fugitive, according to Barita, it is necessary to consider that the central authority holder is handed over to the prosecutor\'s office, that has the authority to act as the executor.

Extradition

ANTARA/HOLIK MANDAILING

Piles of wood, garbage and other objects were carried away by the flash flood that occurred in Muara Saladi Village, Ulu Pungkut District, Mandailing Natal Regency, North Sumatra, Saturday (13/10/2018). The flash flood that occurred on Friday (12/10/2018) caused at least 12 people to die, 10 people were declared missing, and dozens of buildings were damaged. The flood was triggered by forest destruction in the upstream.

Adelin is a convict of illegal logging cases in Mandailing Natal. The Supreme Court sentenced Adelin to 10 years in prison and paid compensation of Rp 119.8 billion and reforestation funds of US$2.93 million. However, the prosecutor\'s office at that time had difficulty executing Adelin because his whereabouts were unknown (Kompas, 2/8/2008). When he was a suspect, he was also a fugitive and was arrested in China in 2006.

Adelin was arrested by Singaporean authorities in 2018 after the country\'s immigration found the same data for two different names. In the trial in Singapore, Adelin pleaded guilty. On that basis, the Singapore Court, 9 June 2021, sentenced him to a fine of 14,000 Singapore dollars, returned Hendro Leonardi\'s passport to the Indonesian government, and deported Adelin Lis to Indonesia. Adelin\'s return process is currently underway.

Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Singapore Suryopratomo, contacted from Jakarta, said that currently his party is still coordinating with the f Foreign Affairs Ministry of Singapore, ICA, and the Attorney General\'s Office of Singapore to ensure Adelin is returned to Jakarta in accordance with the AGO\'s request. Suryopratomo admitted that so far the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Singapore has refused to send Adelin back using a chartered plane which, according to the plan, will be used by a pick-up team from the Attorney General’s Office of Indonesia. The Singapore government, according to him, wanted the pick-up using a commercial aircraft, as is the case with other fugitive deportations that have been carried out by the Singapore government.

The Supreme Court sentenced Adelin to 10 years in prison and paid compensation of Rp 119.8 billion and reforestation funds of US$2.93 million.

However, even with the use of commercial aircraft, said Suryopratomo, the landing location has not yet been decided, whether in Medan according to the wishes of the convict and his family or to Jakarta in accordance with the wishes of the Attorney General’s Office of Indonesia.

Leonard added that the Attorney General’s Office of Indonesia continues to communicate with the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore to withhold travel documents such as the passport so that Adelin does not fly anywhere on other planes, except for planes operated by Garuda Indonesia. He also mentioned that during 1 January to 16 June 2021, the Attorney General\'s Office arrested 95 fugitives in various cases, including those who fled abroad. There are still many fugitives who have not been caught, either from the list in the Prosecutor\'s Office, the Police, or the Corruption Eradication Commission. Therefore, the Prosecutor\'s Office must ensure that Adelin, who will be extradited from Singapore, can be secured.

Meanwhile, ICA, as quoted by The Straits Times (17/6), said that the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore had offered to repatriate Adelin via private flights on 16 June. However, the ICA rejected the arrangement because the repatriation of foreigners was not wanted by the Singaporean authorities independently. (NAD/MHD/WSI/PDS/TRA/GAL)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.