TEMPO.CO, Kupang - Brig. Gen. Endang Sunjaya, Chief of the East Nusa Tenggara Police said that the Police is ready to submit the case files of six ship crews allegedly bribed by Australian soldiers to the prosecutor's office.
The ship crews were paid to redirect 65 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, Rohingya and Sri Lanka from Australia to Indonesia. The Australian government had refused to receive immigrants from South Asia.
"The case files of the suspects are complete and ready to be submitted to the prosecutor's office," Endang told journalists on Monday, July 6, 2015.
In addition to the ship crews, Endang added, the Police are still looking for three other suspects who allegedly recruited the crews.
Earlier on June 1, 2015, a total of 65 immigrants were sheltered at Rote Ndao Police headquarter in Landu Island after two of their ships were stranded in the island. The immigrants were seeking political asylum to New Zealand via Australia to avoid conflicts in their countries. However, when they entered Australian waters, Australian authorities forced them to redirect their destination to Indonesia.
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