TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Czeresna Herryawan Soedjono, president director of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) denied the allegation that three RSCM’s doctors had been arrested by the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Corps (Bareskrim) over kidney trafficking case.

“Our doctors were questioned as expert witnesses. No doctor has been arrested,” Soedjono said in a press conference at RSCM in Jakarta on Friday, February 5, 2016.

Soedjono explained that he did not want to speculate on the involvement of RSCM doctors in organ trafficking and he would let police investigate the case if any of his doctors were linked with illegal organ traffickers.

He said that he would not hesitate to impose sanctions against doctors or staff who were involved in the illegal practice.

“We will impose sanctions based on Law No. 36/2009. They will be charged with up to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rp1 billion (US$72,500),” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, February 4, 2016, Bareskrim searched RSCM in Central Jakarta over the kidney trafficking case.

“The search is a part of the procedure. We’re looking for supporting data,” Bareskrim analysis and evaluation head Sr. Comr. Hadi Ramdani told Tempo on Thrusday.

Police seized a document box containing medical records of kidney donors and recipients. To this date, police have questioned eight witnesses, including victims and doctors.

Police had named three suspects: H, D, and A in the case. The three suspects allegedly sold kidneys not only in Indonesia, but also in other neighboring countries. Police suspected that RSCM was the hospital where kidney transplants were performed.

ABDUL AZIS