have been sentenced to prison in Indonesia for their alleged involvement in a baby-smuggling racket that trafficked infants to Singapore.
The Indonesian court judge, Gatot Ardian Agustriono, has handed down sentences ranging from three years and four months to seven years in prison after he found all 19 defendants guilty of human trafficking.
According to several media reports, at least 34 babies are expected to have been trafficked to Singapore for up to 18,000 Singapore dollars (approximately $14,000) each. The trial revealed that the smuggling syndicate reportedly procured babies from various areas in West Java before transporting them to Depok city.
From there, the babies were moved to a residence in Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province, where syndicate-appointed caregivers looked after them. Some were allegedly then taken to Singapore via Jakarta. An estimated 12 babies are still believed to be in Singapore after being trafficked there. Lie Siu Luan, 70, also known as Popo, received the harshest sentence, seven years, after being named as the ringleader behind the operation.
Baby-trafficking network
The judge stated that Lie played a hands-on role in recruiting several individuals and overseeing a baby-trafficking network that spanned both domestic and international operations. Astri Fitrinika, identified as having recruited babies for the syndicate, was handed a six-year and seven-month prison term.
Lai Siu Ha, accused of falsifying documentation for the infants, including birth certificates and family registration cards, received the same sentence of six years and seven months. A similar sentence was ordered for Djaka Hamdani Hutabarat, the sole male defendant, and his wife, Elin Marlina, both considered to have served as intermediaries in the trafficking scheme, were given identical sentences.
Prosecutors had originally pushed for 10-year terms for five of the accused. Meanwhile, six other defendants, who had posed as the babies’ biological mothers or as babysitters, were sentenced to three years and four months each.