A hidden camera catches Balinese traffic officer Komang Sarjana taking a bribe from a tourist. Picture: Luman Bintoro The Kerobokan police post now has signs warning against bribing police. Picture: Lukman Bintoro

THERE'S a small part of me that feels a tiny bit sorry for Second Inspector Komang Sarjana. He's funny. He's clearly got a sense of humour, he's expressive and he's very Balinese.

Now he's also locked up in a jail cell - the very kind of jail cell that a man in his position should be sending others to and not finding himself in.

Scroll down to watch video of the bribe

Read Next

The Balinese traffic officer's downfall began when he pulled over a motorbike-riding Dutch tourist. The Dutchman, who was videoing the encounter, asks what he did wrong.

A jovial Sarjana points to his own head, indicating no helmet.

"Can you show me licence, driving licence. Oh," Sarjana says, laughing again. "Forget in the hotel, in the villa?" he says, pre-empting the tourist, who nods and says the officer has guessed his thoughts.

The conversation continues ...

Sarjana - I give you ticket now, you fined in the court of justice in Denpasar.

Tourist - No court, I don't want to go to court.

Sarjana - If you pay the court justice, 1,250,000 (rupiah or $125).

Tourist - Whoa.

Sarjana - If you pay here, I give you 250,000 (rupiah), 200,000 is good for you.

Tourist - 200, that's like $20.

Sarjana - Yes maybe $20.

Tourist - Then I don't have to go to court?

The Dutchman counts out four 50,000 rupiah notes. He says he will go and get his helmet and the officer tells him there's no problem.

Sarjana - No helmet, tomorrow remember helmet OK. For today no problem you can go anywhere in my area OK.

Tourist - And you won't fine me?

Sarjana - No stop you again.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Sarjana then accentuates his own downfall. As the tourist gets back on the bike he tells the officer he's going back to his hotel to have a beer.

Sarjana, clearly thirsty, suggests the pair drink beer together inside his police post, using the bribe money. "This is your money. I pay 100 to beer, 100 for my Government," he says.

If you are cringing by now, it only gets worse. The Dutchman then asks Sarjana to tell him a "secret" about how much money he makes this way.

Sarjana says he is the "good number two" and tells the Dutchman: "Number one, 300,000. Number two, you. Number three, 100,000."

The pair part company with an invitation from Sarjana for the Dutchman to join him the next day at the police post for another beer.

But the next time Sarjana heard about Kees Van Der Spek was when the Dutchman, a journalist, filed a story about his encounter with a Balinese police officer taking a bribe and posted it on YouTube.

The video has landed Sarjana in jail for 21 days on police disciplinary charges. A second officer, who witnessed the transaction and drank a beer as well, got 14 days.

Watch the video here:

But there have been no criminal charges. Police say that can't happen yet because Van Der Spek has left Bali and can't make a statement.

The incident has shone a light on the ugly side of corruption among public officials in Indonesia. A great many tourists and Westerners in Bali can tell you how they paid a bribe to a traffic cop to get out of trouble. It's generally about $20 but it adds up when you consider how many people they stop and "fine" in a shift.

Sarjana clearly deserves punishment. But

the bribes he was taking were small fry compared to the ill-gotten gains of the former chief of the National Police Traffic Corps, Inspector General Djoko Susilo, who

faced the first day of his trial this week in Jakarta, charged with money-laundering relating to the procurement of driving simulators.

As part of the case, investigators seized assets including land, houses, vehicles and up to 10 tourist buses and gas stations worth $11.3 million.

The two cases are a good illustration of how corruption filters from the top down. Juniors like Sarjana see their senior officers with their hands in the till so no wonder they see nothing wrong with garnering some notes from tourists who should know better.

This week Sarjana's former police post, down the road from Kerobokan Jail, is plastered with massive signs warning about corruption and has been given a new look to distance it from the embarrassing Dutch video.

Email Cindy Wockner

Twitter: @cindywockner