American Citizen on Wanted List Over Gayus Trips

[SamanthaB]

American Citizen on Wanted List Over Gayus Trips
Farouk Arnaz & Armando Siahaan | January 17, 2011

Jakarta.The National Police have placed an American citizen on its wanted list in connection with the provision of the fake passport used by jailed graft defendant Gayus Tambunan to make overseas excursions, a police spokesman said on Monday.

National Police spokesman Chief Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said the US Embassy in Jakarta has confirmed that John Jerome Grice was an American citizen.

"He has been living and working in Jakarta since 2007 as a business consultant," he told reporters, adding that they believed Grice left Jakarta in July 2010.

The National Police has asked Interpol to issue a red notice on Grice, Boy said.

According to a copy of his passport, Grice was born on May 16, 1970, in California.

Boy said they believed Grice was the "intellectual" actor behind the "authentic" passport bearing the name “Sony Laksono,” with a photograph of Gayus wearing a wig and glasses.

"He met Gayus in a hotel in North Jakarta to give him the passport and receive payment," Boy added.

Gayus, a graft defendant who faces at least three additional charges, was discovered making trips to Macao, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore when he was supposed to be detained in National Police’s mobile brigade detention facility center in Depok, West Java.

Police said earlier that Grice had been introduced to Gayus through J or Joko, a middleman recently arrested over suspicions that he played a part in helping the former taxman obtain the fake travel document but then released due the lack of evidences.

A police source told the Jakarta Globe earlier that Grice helped Gayus obtain Guyanese nationality.

However, Boy said they were still investigating that information. "Now our IT experts are carrying out forensic examinations of e-mail conversations between [the syndicate behind the fake passport] and Gayus."

Separately on Monday, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said that at least six immigration officers would be sanctioned for their roles in Gayus's illicit overseas trips. “Our inspectorate general today will impose sanctions against our officials who were negligent,” Patrialis said.

“Whoever is proven to have committed a crime, we will hand over fully to the National Police,” he said, responding to allegations that some of the officers received bribes from Gayus. So far, he said, there was no indication that these officers were bribed. “But it is possible,” he said.

[SamanthaB]

Anyone know John Jerome Grice? For his sake, I hope he's far, far away from Indonesia and in a non-extradition country, 'cause they're out to make an example of him.

What does "Boy said they believed Grice was the 'intellectual' actor behind the 'authentic' passport bearing the name 'Sony Laksono,' with a photograph of Gayus wearing a wig and glasses," even mean?! That the fake passport was his idea?

And who is he that he'd be an American citizen master-minding a giant Indonesian fake-passport ring? And able to obtain Guyanese citizenship for Gayus. And why Guyana?! It's all too bizarre and hard to believe.

Sounds like a not-so-subtle distraction to me. Hope Interpol and the US Embassy aren't taking these allegations very seriously. Even if the suspect *did* help Gayus obtain a fake passport, he couldn't have done it without people on the inside-- and those people are who the 'investigators' should be going after... Along with the lawyers, the business people that paid Gayus instead of paying taxes, the police officers and guards that accepted bribes for his release, his wife and family for assisting a criminal...

[Anglian]

You couldnt make this up if you tried, you have a very minor tax official on 2 million a month making so much money, he couldnt do it without anybody else in the Tax office knowing,or did he, seems hard to believe that only Gayus was involved with this Tax fraud, Now an American involved, wonder how much he go to bribe the Pasport office

[SamanthaB]

Anglian, it's like a made-for-TV movie, right? It would be funny if it wasn't all so tragically true. Between Gayus and Titaful, Indonesia sure is making a name for itself on the international stage. Unfortunately, it's not a very good name.

[Anglian]

I think if they reeled everyone in involved, there would be nobody left to run the country, it will be interesting to see what Wiki leaks reveals on the Swiss Bank issue, if any Indonesians are mentioned,

[tjamail]

Grice is now the black sheep... What's an American got to do with issuing an Indonesian passport with the name of Sony Laksono??

[Mas Fred]

Grice is now the black sheep... What's an American got to do with issuing an Indonesian passport with the name of Sony Laksono??

He may have set up the deal. His nationality wouldn't prevent him from knowing the right people.
Not that I've the slightest clue as to his guilt or lack of it.

[atlantis]

Grice is now the black sheep... What's an American got to do with issuing an Indonesian passport with the name of Sony Laksono??

In every good indonesian story of corruption, terrorism...etc there must be a foreign involvement. It allows to evade the real questions that should be addressed.
Nordin M Top was more evil than any of his predecessor or followers for example. He was malaysian. In drug dealing cases, it works the same. I remenber of a case where 2 foreigners (a chemist and a technician) got the death penalty while the indonesian owners of the fabrik got a life term (and one is still at large). The foreigners were paraded, but I don't remenber having seen any pics of the owner.

[atlantis]

He may have set up the deal. His nationality wouldn't prevent him from knowing the right people.

Yes, being there since 2007, he had ample time to be the head of a false indonesian passport ring. I have no doubt that he has achieved fluency in bahasa indonesia allowing him to do the correct networking. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he was a CIA operative on top of that.
And Indonesian immigration officers and all those involved certainly needed a foreigner for it.

[Mas Fred]

The National Police has asked Interpol to issue a red notice on Grice, Boy said.

Unless he did have something to do with it.
That political bit is fine and I'm sure interpol will see it if that's the case.

Unless Boy pays off interpol to fix things so a foreigner can be found guilty.