AFP

JAKARTA | INDONESIAN police said Monday they had arrested the head of immigration at Jakarta airport on suspicion of taking a bribe to issue a fake travel document to a Singaporean citizen.

Rochadi Iman Santoso allegedly issued the forgery to the Singaporean — who is involved in a court case with a local company.

Local media reports said the document falsely showed a visit to Indonesia on certain dates that never took place.

“We arrested him on Friday on suspicion that he forged a travel document for a Singaporean,” said police spokesman Rikwanto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

“The Singaporean’s lawyer had requested the document for a legal case and Santoso allegedly issued it, saying the person had arrived in Indonesia and left the following day. But that never happened.” Rikwanto said police were investigating Santoso, the head of immigration at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta international airport, on suspicion of bribery.

Official graft is rampant in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of about 240 million people scattered on more than 17,000 islands.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s popularity has steadily fallen throughout his second term as the public loses faith in his fight against corruption.