DENPASAR (Yosefardi) – Chan Kit, the owner of PT Antartica Segara Lines that operates the MV Hai Fa tramper ship, has filed a report to National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim Polri) against minister of Fishery & Marine affairs Susi Pudjiastuti.
Susi confirms about the police report filed against her to the press on Thursday (Apr. 9). Susi said she’s facing a strong man behind the MV Hai Fa.
The lawyer of MV Hai Fa’s owner Made Rahman, meanwhile, explains that his client reported Susi to the Police over defamation allegation. Made said his client is not accepting Susi’s statement that MV Hai Fa is an illegal fishing ship.
As reported earlier, the MV Hai Fa tramper ship was arrested in Port Wanam, Papua, on Dec. 24, 2014. When being caught, the ship’s cargo weighed 900.7 tons with 800 tons of frozen fish and 100 tons of frozen shrimps. Among the frozen fish were Hammerhead Sharks and Cowboys Sharks, protected fish that cannot be exported. The cargo belongs to PT Avona Mina Lestari, and it was bound for export to China.
The Court of Fisheries of the Ambon District Court later on Mar. 25, 2015, only ordered the captain of the MV Hai Fa Zhu Nian Le to pay Rp200 million of fine or serving six months imprisonment. The court also ordered the Fisheries & Marine Ministry under Susi’s leadership to release the MV Hai Fa ship plus their cargo of 900.7 tons of frozen fish and shrimps.
Susi, through the Fisheries & Marine Ministry, has filed an appeal to challenge said court verdict that releasing MV Hai Fa. (haryantosuharman@yosefardi.com)