Stephane Gagnon, a 50-year-old Interpol fugitive from Canada who was recently apprehended on suspicion of fraud, alleges he was extorted in Bali for IDR 1 billion (USD 67,282) by two Indonesian National Police (Polri) officers and an unidentified civilian.
Inspector General Krishna Murti, the Chief of the National Police’s International Relations Division, has suspended the deportation of Canadian Interpol fugitive Stephane Gagnon.
This choice was taken to look into those responsible for the extortion against him.
According to the local news on Monday, the 5th of June 2023, Murti stated, “We are currently conducting an investigation to clarify this incident.”
Maruli Harahap, Gagnon’s legal representative, disclosed that his client had given hundreds of million rupiahs through a middleman, who then distributed the money to police officers. Gagnon was promised he wouldn’t be detained in exchange for this cash by the alleged Indonesian police officers.
Harahap stated that a middleman contacted his client in February and informed Gagnon that he would be detained for four to six weeks.
“Feeling disturbed and wanting to avoid further disruption, Gagnon sent a total of IDR 750 million, IDR 150 million, and IDR 100 million, all of which were transferred electronically,” said Harahap on Sunday, 4th of June 2023.
In April, the middleman requested an extra IDR 3 billion to avert Gagnon’s arrest. Gagnon, however, disregarded the order, which led to his detention. The middleman requested IDR 3 billion once again to secure Gagnon’s release while being held at the Bali Police detention facility, but it was turned down this time.
Two members of the Indonesia National Police’s Division of International Relations and a civilian are thought to have received the money. The team of Harahap has obtained documentation of transfers, conversations, and videos between the middleman and the Indonesian police officers.
An email notification was sent to the Indonesia National Police’s head office. Harahap expects that his client’s extradition will be delayed to allow for a thorough investigation into this extortion case.
Canadian citizen Stephane Gagnon was detained by the Bali Police on the 20th of May 2023, following a red notice control number A-6452/8-2022 issued on the 5th of August 2022. The Canadian government is looking for Gagnon for allegedly committing fraud and counterfeiting in Canada
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