he Banten Police have named and detained three suspects over suspected extortion of a contractor working on a massive petrochemical project in Cilegon, Banten.
Two of the suspects are high-ranking officials at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin)’s regional branch in Cilegon, namely regional Kadin chairman Muhammad Salim and the regional deputy chairman for industrial affairs, Ismatullah Ali.
The third suspect, Rufaji Zahuri, heads the regional chapter of the Indonesian Fisherman Association (HNSI).
The arrests come after a video surfaced on social media last week, showing a heated confrontation between individuals claiming to represent Kadin’s Cilegon branch and Chengda Engineering Co., a contractor for PT Chandra Asri Pacific’s CA-EDC project.
The footage appears to show the group demanding to be included as a subcontractor in the project estimated at an investment value of Rp 15 trillion (US$906 million).
According to the police, a video clip shows Ismatullah slamming a table while demanding project participation without a tender. Meanwhile, Muhammad is accused of coercion and Rufaji allegedly threatened to mobilize a crowd to halt the project unless the HNSI were included.
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The police revealed that the suspects had met with Chengda representatives twice before the incident, on April 8 and April 22, to push for their involvement. The suspects now face charges of incitement, blackmail and committing unpleasant acts.
