RJ Lino Adamant that Crane Procurement Did Not Violate the Law

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Executive Director for PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Pelindo II), Richard Joost Lino, has yet to be named as a suspect in the suspected embezzlement case, relating to the procurement of mobile cranes by the National Police (Polri) Criminal Investigation Unit - despite the fact that he has been summoned as a witness three times. Lino remains adamant that there is nothing irregular in the procurement of ten cranes in question.

Lino was questioned for 4,5 hours by investigators on Monday, November 30. Afterwards, Lino declined to comment on his questioning. "It went alright - I answered all their inquiries and gave all the information they requested," he said at the Polri's Criminal Investigation Unit Headquarters.

Lino insisted that the procurement of the cranes were done in accordance to existing regulations. "We didn't breach any of our corporate governance rules," he said, before adding that the National Audit Agency (BPK) had cleared the procurement, although there are several changes relating to the eventual deployment of the units.

It is known that the case surfaced after investigators searched RJ Lino's office in August 2015. Investigators came to the conclusion that the procurement of the crane was too expensive and was done not according to existing rules and regulations - causing the state some Rp45 billion in losses.

Investigators have so far questioned 45 suspects about the suspected corruption allegation. One witness - Pelindo II's Technical Director, Ferialdy Noerland - have since been named as a suspect.

VINDRY FLORENTIN