Inp.polri.go.id - Denpasar. The Bali Regional Police addressed a viral video where a foreign national narrates an incident of allegedly paying a police officer for an escort in Bali. Senior Sperintendent Jansen Avitus Panjaitan, the Head of the Public Relations Unit of the Bali Police, clarified the situation on Thursday (29/2/2024), as reported by antaranews.com.
Chief Jansen said, "The incident did indeed occur, but it took place during the G20 presidency in 2022.
He elaborated that the involved officer, from the Gianyar Sub-regional Police, admitted to escorting the foreign national from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport to a certain location late at night. However, he said that the officer has since forgotten the details of the event.
"The officer has been transferred a long time ago, no longer in the Traffic Unit, because he was caught doing the same thing, failing to report to superiors," explained Chief Jansen. "Conducting an escort, not reporting it to superiors, but it's not this (viral) case."
In the video uploaded by the Instagram account @justinrossales, the foreign national claimed to have paid the police officer $100 or around Rp1.56 million for the escort service. The footage, recorded from inside a car, showed the traffic officer clearing the way for the vehicle on the road.
Chief Jansen expressed concerns, saying, "There are indications of something not good from the foreigner who made the incident go viral."
(mg/inp/pr/nm)