Parking Fines of Indonesian Diplomats Probed

VIVAnews – Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry will investigate the information related to Indonesian diplomats who owed parking fines amounting to US$725,000 in New York, US. The bill was likely to be resulted from accumulation of arrears over the years.

"We will scrutinize it in the first place because of the large amount," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene when contacted by VIVAnews, Monday.

Tene said that Indonesia has two representatives in New York, one at the consulate-general and one as a permanent representative to the UN.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry had never received the invoice for the fines. Therefore, the bill was probably the parking ticket fines, for example for parking not in proper place. "Probably those are not paid, and usually the ticket bills are addressed directly to the offender," he said.

The Finance Department of New York City, U.S., said a number of diplomats from many countries who live in the city owe parking fine debts totaling US$16.7 million.

The Indonesian diplomats were ranked third in the largest parking fines debt, after Egypt and Nigeria. This amount is estimated to swell nearing the UN General Assembly next week.

Under the legislation introduced by U.S. Congressman Michael Grimm, Peter King, and Edolphus Towns, countries of origin of the diplomats who fail to repay parking fines in New York will be subject to sanctions.

New York is the home for 289 diplomats and consulates from around the world. "There is no diplomatic immunity for them in matters of paying the parking fines. When you incur a fine in New York, you have to pay it. There are no exceptions," said Grimm.