Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Source: reuters.com)Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo on August 12 ordered an official investigation into allegations that top police and military officers were involved in drugs trafficking.
Claims that senior police and military officers took kickbacks from a drug kingpin have raised huge controversy in Indonesia, where the government is waging a war on narcotics and last month executed four convicted traffickers, were executed.
In 2014, Freddy Budiman, who was among the four traffickers executed by shooting told Haris Azhar, a human rights activist that he paid police, military and specialist narcotics agents to protect his lucrative business.
President Widodo criticised Azhar for revealing the allegations years after they were made, and he has instructed the national police chief to investigate the case.
In a statement on August 11, he requested further investigations be made to verify the authenticity of the allegations.
Widodo declared a war on drugs when he took office in October 2014 and vowed no clemency for those convicted of trafficking.
Eighteen convicted drug smugglers, including 15 foreigners, have been executed in Indonesia under his administration.-VNA
