JAKARTA, INDONESIA - In a meeting today in Jakarta with Indonesian National Police (INP) Chief Sutanto, U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales delivered a check to the Government of Indonesia in the amount of $287,577, in the first ever asset sharing agreement between the United States and Indonesia. The funds consist of proceeds of assets forfeited by the U.S. Department of Justice in a narcotics case in which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was assisted by narcotics officers with INP.
U.S. Attorney General Gonzales is in Jakarta for bilateral meetings with Indonesian law enforcement officials. He commended General Sutanto and the Indonesian National Police for their recent successes in combating terrorism and narcotics trafficking, and stated that he look forward to increased cooperation in the future.
In addition to the check delivered today, the U.S. Government is providing assistance worth millions of dollars to Indonesian law enforcement in the form of training, equipment, and technical assistance for anti-terrorism investigators, narcotics officers, marine police, prosecutors, and others in law enforcement.
The check delivered today represents the fruits of prior cooperation between U.S. and Indonesian law enforcement in a drug trafficking case that led to the conviction of two Americans in the United States. Under U.S. law, when funds are forfeited by the U.S. Department of Justice, including the DEA, the forfeited proceeds may be shared with another country in recognition of its assistance in the case. The $287,577 provided to the Government of Indonesia today represents 80% of the proceeds forfeited in the case. Under the terms of the sharing agreement between the countries, the funds will be used to promote narcotics law enforcement efforts in Indonesia.
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