Escaped Convict Labora Believed to Be Hiding Out in His Hometown
Sorong. Officials believe the fugitive Labora Sitorus, a former policeman convicted of money laundering, fuel smuggling and illegal logging, might still be in his hometown of Sorong, West Papua, after escaping from custody last week.
Labora, a former officer in the Raja Ampat Police, first came to the nation's attention in 2014 after the country's anti-money laundering agency, the PPATK, found that the low-ranking officer had Rp 1.5 trillion ($114 million) in his bank accounts.
The convict is supposed to serve a 15-year prison sentence after he was found guilty in September 2014 on charges related to illegal logging and fuel smuggling. However, he is currently on the lam after escaping last week from a hospital where he was receiving treatment.
This happened after the prison recently granted Labora permission to undergo treatment at a local hospital. However, while on the way to the hospital, he allegedly requested to be treated at his home in Sorong instead.
He was apparently still at his home on Thursday night last week but when police arrived there on Friday morning, he had already absconded.
Sorong Prison chief Maliki said he suspects Labora might still be in the Sorong area, claiming that the fugitive was indeed ill and therefore too weak to walk, let alone run. Maliki said officials are still looking for Labora, who may be hiding in the homes of relatives or illegal loggers he had worked with before.
"The point is, Labora is still in Sorong," Maliki said on Sunday, as quoted by state-run news agency Antara. He did not elaborate on the nature of Labora's illness.
The escape has been an embarrassment for the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, which is responsible for the country's prisons. The department is already under fire for allowing high-profile graft convict Gayus Tambunan to leave prison on a lunch outing last year.
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