Indonesia, Singapore To Develop Cooperation To Boost Law Enforcement Efforts

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesia will develop cooperation with Singapore to intensify law enforcement efforts to repatriate fugitives who have fled to the country, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated.

"The president has tasked the government with pursuing fugitives, including by developing cooperation with the Singaporean government," Pandjaitan noted here on Monday.

According to the minister, the government is taking immediate and firm actions against criminals who had fled to foreign countries.

The minister also urged all fugitives to willingly return to Indonesia.

"We urged them to return to Indonesia to undergo the legal process. The fugitives will not be meted out undue punishment and will only be held responsible for what they have done," Pandjaitan emphasized.

Earlier, Vice President Jusuf Kalla had affirmed that Indonesian fugitives often fled to countries that had no extradition agreement with Indonesia, including Singapore.

According to Kalla, Indonesia had offered to ink an extradition agreement with Singapore, but the country had yet to accept the proposal.

"If we have an extradition agreement with Singapore, then more fugitives will be arrested. But, Singapore never wants to sign it," the vice president stated while referring to the arrest of Samadikun Hartono.

Samadikun was the former president commissioner of Bank Modern and had been on the run for the past 13 years since his conviction for embezzling government bailout funds. (WDY)