Police Chief Resigns in Wake of Oral Sex Scandal

The Jakarta Globe March 2, 2011

Police Chief Resigns in Wake of Oral Sex Scandal

by Banjir Ambarita

Jayapura

Jayapura Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Imam Setiawan resigned on Tuesday in the wake of criticism over a recent scandal in which three of his officers forced a female detainee to perform oral sex on them.

Imam said he had made the decision because the “moral responsibility” for the incident rested with him.

He apologized to the family of the victim and to the public in general for his failure to prevent the assault.

“As the chief of the Jayapura Police force, I hold full responsibility for the immoral acts of my three subordinates,” he said.

“That’s the consequence of being the leader. I consider myself to have failed in my duty, and am hence resigning my post.”

Imam also apologized to the public for the officers’ actions, which he said were an aberration of the police paradigm to protect and serve.

“As the Jayapura Police chief, I wholeheartedly apologize for my men’s shameless actions, both to the public and to the family of the victim.”

The scandal came to light last month when a female detainee now being held at Abepura Penitentiary revealed that she had been forced to fellate three officers over a three-month period while in remand at the Jayapura Police’s detention center.

The prisoner, identified only as Bunga, told the Jakarta Globe that the incidents occurred between November and January when she was being held for illegal gambling.

The officers in question have since been sentenced to 21 days in jail and been slapped with administrative sanctions, including a delay of promotion.

Imam said that while he had faced criticism over the relatively light punishment, he was not in a position to mete out harsher punishment.

“Unless someone from the family, like the woman’s husband, comes forward to press charges against the officers, I remain powerless to bring criminal charges against them,” he said. “But if they do come forward, I will ensure that the officers face the full extent of the law.”

Budi Setianto, a Papua-based legal rights advocate, said Imam should not have resigned but should have resolved the scandal by imposing stronger sentences on the perpetrators.

“If he really wanted to shoulder responsibility in the case, he should have stayed on to ensure justice for the victim by punishing the perpetrators to the full extent of the law,” he said.

ENDS

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