There is a great deal of corruption in many parts of the world. In many places politicians are almost expected to give themselves extra benefits – indeed those who do not, are often quite notable for standing out.
In this case, after arresting the politician his house was raided, when the animals were found.
I fully understand that bribery needs to be the primary crime. However, I feel it is necessary that there is a specific period of extra time in prison added on for the wildlife crimes. If not, the citizens of Indonesia will think that this is not important, and it will accelerate the loss of the rest of these population.
Other than the Sumatran orangutan, there was a Sulawesi crested macaque and two Bali starlings, all three species are considered critically endangered.
The maximum penalty for keeping a protected species in captivity is 5 years in prison. Unfortunately perpetrators – often government officials as in this case are extremely unlucky to be prosecuted.
