Diplomatic Impunity
UNDER the cover of diplomatic facilities, super-luxury cars—Bentleys, Ferraris, Maseratis and Rolls-Royces—were imported for years without paying tax or import duties. It is estimated that this resulted in the state suffering losses of some Rp248 billion over the last five years. A number of parties are suspected of being involved, including officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Finance, 33 embassies in Jakarta and an importer named Ali Muhammad. Former Timor Leste Ambassador to Indonesia Arlindo Marçal will soon be indicted by the country’s Attorney General’s Office for involvement in the case. The irony, however, is that it appears that these cases will never go to court in Indonesia.
August 5, 2008
FOR SALE:
Rolls-Royce Phantom 2007
Defective brakes
Price: Rp870 million
The above vehicle was registered in the name of Jordanian Ambassador to Indonesia, His Excellency Mohammad Hassan Dawodieh. He sold the car in March, a year after the Rolls-Royce arrived in Jakarta.
It wouldn’t take a professional appraiser to work out that the super-luxury car was being sold off super-cheap. A Rolls-Royce Phantom is not just any old vehicle—one suc
...