Indonesia's fugitive ex-treasurer captured in Colombia

Indonesia's fugitive ex-treasurer captured in Colombia

2011-08-08 21:42:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian police on Monday confirmed that fugitive Muhammad Nazaruddin, who is accused of accepting bribes worth almost $3 million, was arrested by Interpol agents in South America.

Indonesia's National Police spokesman Inspector General Anton Bachrul Alam told the Jakarta Globe that a man matching Nazaruddin's description was arrested on Sunday in the resort city of Cartagena, Colombia, and after a fingerprint test, he was confirmed as Indonesia's most wanted man.

According to Anton, as a fugitive, Nazaruddin had traveled to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia before chartering a private jet and flying to Bogota, the capital of Colombia, via Madrid and the Dominican Republic. He had been traveling with a number of unknown companions, one of them thought to be his wife.

A team of five police officers, including one immigration official and an Interpol representative, had been tracking Nazaruddin since he was named an international fugitive.

The former treasurer of the governing Democratic Party was officially named a suspect late June in a bribery case involving an athletes' village project in Jakabaring, Palembang. In July, the Interpol listed him in its Red Notice list to seek his arrest or provisional arrest with a view to extradition.

Specifically, Nazaruddin allegedly accepted Rp 25 billion rupiah ($2.9 million) from a company that won a contract for athlete housing at the South East Asian Games, which will be held in Indonesia in November.

Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials previously requested a travel ban on Nazaruddin, but he fled to Singapore on May 23, a day before the directorate general of immigration at the Law and Human Rights Ministry issued the ban. He claimed to have traveled for a medical check-up, but his whereabouts had been unknown ever since.

Anton said a team was being sent to Colombia including representatives from the police, KPK, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, and the Foreign Ministry to supervise the operation, hoping Nazaruddin could be deported to Indonesia immediately.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-08