Prosecutors charged 19 people accused of sending infants to cities across the country and overseas, including to Singapore, in what the authorities described as one of Indonesia’s largest trafficking cases in recent years.
Earlier, the defendants – 18 of them women – filed before the Indonesian Bandung District Court in a single line, dressed in white shirts and orange detainee vests. Several of them lowered their heads or shielded their faces from cameras outside.
At the centre of the case is Lie Siu Luan, 70, known as Lily, whom police investigators described as the ringleader. She was arrested in July 2025 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport upon returning from Singapore, according to reports.
An indictment shows that prosecutors have brought three charges against Lie.
In Indonesia’s legal system, prosecutors may file more than one charge so that judges can consider other offences if the main charge is not proven.
The primary charge is human trafficking, read together with offences relating to acting with others and committing the crime repeatedly.
According to the indictment, this charge covers the alleged recruitment, transport and harbouring or transfer of individuals through means such as fraud, coercion, threats or abuse of vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation.
If convicted under this charge, Lie could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to five billion rupiah (RM1.1mil).
Two other charges have also been filed and may be considered if the main charge is not upheld, including sending Indonesian citizens abroad for exploitation. This charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to 600 million rupiah (RM142,000).
Dr Sendi Sanjaya, a lawyer representing Lie, said prosecutors had brought the charges based on allegations of baby abduction, but he rejected the claims as inaccurate, arguing that the cases involved the consent of the babies’ parents.
“We do not want anyone to be punished for something she did not do,” Dr Sanjaya said after the hearing yesterday.
He said Lie had acted in good faith, intending to place the babies with higher-income families.
He added that the defence would present evidence to support its case during the trial, which he expects to last between three and six months.
In the coming hearings, presiding judge Gatot Ardian Agustiono and a panel of three judges will hear testimony from witnesses and arguments from both prosecutors and defence lawyers.
Judge Gatot reminded the defendants that they would have the opportunity to respond to the indictment later in the trial.
The defendants were represented by different lawyers. After the hearing was adjourned, the defendants were seen speaking softly with their respective lawyers.
Aditia Restianda, a lawyer representing four of the 19 defendants, said before the hearing began: “We will do our best to ensure our clients receive proper legal protection as defendants.”
“All Indonesian citizens have equal rights before the law, including the right to receive legal assistance,” he added.
Prosecutor Sukanda told reporters after the hearing that the syndicate handled about 35 babies, who were sent to Singapore and several cities across Indonesia.
He said each baby sold in Singapore fetched between 200 million rupiah and 250 million rupiah (RM47,000 and RM59,000).
Investigators previously said the syndicate’s operations often began before the birth of the babies, with recruiters allegedly approaching pregnant women facing financial hardship and offering to cover medical expenses in exchange for their babies.
In some cases, infants were effectively “reserved” while still in the womb.
The operation relied on falsified administrative records. Babies were allegedly added to households’ Kartu Keluarga, or family cards, using fake birth certificates. These documents were then used to obtain passports from the Pontianak immigration office in West Kalimantan.
The cards, issued by Indonesia’s Civil Registry Office, record key information about all members of a household and are required for passports, school enrolment, marriage registration and healthcare.
Infants from Bandung, Sukabumi and Cianjur in West Java were transported to Jakarta, then to Pontianak for documentation, before being returned to Jakarta and flown overseas, including to Singapore, police said.
Earlier speculation suggested the babies were moved through land crossings via Johor Baru, Malaysia, though police later said they were flown directly from Jakarta to Changi Airport.
Senior Commissioner Ade Sapari, director of special crimes at the West Java police, said on Jan 14 that the ring selected babies based on appearance, with those considered “good-looking” sent overseas, including to Singapore, while others were sold within Indonesia. — The Straits Times/ANN
