The Ministry of Environment and Forestry's (KLHK) Director General of Law Enforcement Rasio Rido Sani explained that the implementation of the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) system in Indonesia would make it easier to handle cases where the perpetrators were foreigners.
"We will develop law enforcement with an MLA mechanism for other cases, such as transnational crimes that are not only related to animals but also illegal logging of wood and waste, the existence of MLA is history in law enforcement," said Rido Sani, at the Bali Police Headquarters.
Rasio said, in the handling of foreigners from the Netherlands who were arrested some time ago for being involved in the trade in goods made from protected animals in Indonesia, they were handled through the MLA system.
The trade in handicrafts made from the bodies or skins of protected animals, such as the skulls of deer pigs, crocodile skulls, turtle skulls, lizard skins, python skins and many others.
Mutual Legal Assistance is a mechanism in providing legal assistance, both in the collection and submission of evidence by one law enforcement officer from one country to another in response to requests for assistance.
He said, with the MLA between the Indonesian government and the Dutch government, it became an interesting process in its development. Natural resource crimes, including illegal activities involving cross-border animal trade, must be handled together.
"So this is a historic moment because it was the first time it was implemented in handling this case, through the MLA which was agreed by the Indonesian government, in this case, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and also the Dutch government," he explained.
In handling cases of trade in goods made from endangered species on the Indonesian-Dutch network, Rido Sani stated that he is collaborating between law enforcement agencies in Indonesia and also collaboration with law enforcement officers in the Netherlands.
"We can complete the handling of this case and also be a signal to other criminals in foreign countries that the Indonesian government will not stop fighting crimes related to natural resources, especially activities related to the illegal trade in protected animals," he said. .
In addition, he hopes that the MLA can break the chain of trade syndicates for handicrafts made from endangered species animals in Indonesia.
Source: https://pemilu.antaranews.com/berita/1010984/rasio-sistem-mla-percepat-tangani-pelaku-pelaku-wna
