The State vs Labora

The 'People vs Labora' episode almost stole the spotlight from the much-hyped total solar eclipse. The scene of nearly 700 police and military personnel equipped with a Barracuda-armored vehicle storming through the wall of the residential complex of a man sentenced to 15 years in prison was aired live by several TV stations. It was no less thrilling than the arrest of a Colombian drug lord.

Labora Sitorus is no ordinary cop. He held nothing higher than a non-commissioned post but his arrest was much grander than that of Police Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji in Bandung a few years back. In what appeared to be a botched arrest, Labora vanished, leaving his escape shrouded in mystery. Some officials said that the owner of bank accounts totaling Rp1.5 trillion had fled via his private port. Some looked for a possible bunker in and around his complex. Some speculated that he was already in the Philippines.

March 15, 2016