Indonesia: Upcoming Election means more giveaways to illegal loggers & more promises to stop ’em

“If crime is high like corruption, narcotics, illegal logging, then
money laundering must be also high,” said Yunus Husein, chief of the
Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center, when
asked about the impact of the crisis on his work. The agency has had
to deal with nearly 22,000 alerts received on suspicious financial
transactions since its launch in 2003, and has filed 617 reports to
other law enforcement agencies.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
who is seeking re-election next year, pledged to put the fight against
corruption at the heart of his administration. Indonesia, often ranked
as one of the world’s most corrupt nations, appears to be stepping up
its pursuit of graft cases, although it is an uphill battle since a
culture of corruption developed under former president Suharto’s
decades-long rule. Husein said combating illegal logging in the
tropical nation — home to huge swathes of hardwood forest — was
particularly tough given the intricate network of players often
involved. “This problem is very difficult to solve since it’s closely
related to (public officials),” said Husein, adding it could also
involve financial backing from outside the country. He said efforts to
“follow the money” abroad were also made more difficult by secretive
global banking centers. “Singapore is the most difficult one,” he
said, adding that information on property or the shareholders of
companies would be forthcoming but not on financial transactions or
bank balances. http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSTRE4BI2GY20081219

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