"Starting from today, Senior Commissioner Riko Sunarko will be suspended from his duty as Medan police precinct chief to focus on the North Sumatra police's investigation regarding his case," Simanjuntak remarked at the North Sumatra Police Headquarters in Medan on Friday evening (Jan 21).
North Sumatra Police Regional Monitoring Inspector, Senior Commissioner Armia Fahmi, has been appointed to replace Sunarko as the Medan Police chief on an acting basis, he remarked.
Simanjuntak confirmed that Sunarko's dismissal is related to the recent investigation of the alleged bribe that he received from a wife of a drug dealer.
Earlier, during a court session at the Medan High Court on Wednesday (Jan 12), Chief Brigadier Ricardo, who was implicated in a drug-related crime case, revealed that Senior Commissioner Riko Sunarko had accepted a bribe from a drug dealer's spouse.
Ricardo spoke of having transferred the bribe worth Rp300 million (US$21 thousand) that he had received from the wife of a drug dealer to his superior, Sunarko.
Related news: North Sumatra: Police officer sacked over drug offense
Following the revelation, a team from the North Sumatra Police is currently investigating the case, as confirmed by the National Police's Public Relations division head, Inspector General Dedi Prasetyo.
"If the case is proven, stern punishment awaits the suspects," Prasetyo emphasized in Jakarta on Monday (Jan 17).
The regional police team's investigation involves gathering evidence to corroborate Ricardo's statement while maintaining the presumption of innocence basis to Sunarko before the investigation concludes, he remarked.
"The investigation result will be reported by the North Sumatra Police, and we will maintain the presumption of innocence on the investigation," the inspector general noted. Related news: Kebayoran Baru police precinct chief sacked over ethics code violation
Translator: Munawar M, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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