No Sanction for Paspampres Members Who Purchase Guns in the US
9 July 2016 19:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Information Center of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) Major General Tatang Sulaiman ensured that eight members of the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres) who purchased guns in the United States will not receive sanctions.
According to Tatang, although legal apparatus in the US considers that the purchase of the guns is illegal, the result of the investigation done by the Military Police Center of the TNI found that the purchase is legal.
"The Military Police Center of the TNI has investigated it and found no misuse of the guns. In the future, we’ll assist (those who are going to buy guns) in terms of the administrative requirements,” Tatang said on Saturday (9/7).
As previously reported, the case came into spotlight after a US Army soldier, Audi Sumilat, pleaded guilty to a US court on Wednesday for participating in a scheme to purchase guns from several US suppliers and later sell them to Paspampres personnel.
Sumilat did not hold a license to export firearms, as the scheme was initiated in 2014, according to reports from the Associated Press.
Sumilat will be sentenced in October and could face five years in prison and a fine of US$250,000. Another suspect in the case has also been charged and is scheduled to face trial on July 19.
ANGELINA ANJAR SAWITRI