Family members questioned over Tommy's absence<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The wife and sister of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala
\nPutra were grilled for about 10 hours on Monday at the National
\nPolice Headquarters over the disappearance of the youngest son of
\nformer president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Monday's probe was the first time for members of the former
\npresident's family to be questioned since Tommy went missing
\nearly this month after he was sentenced by the Supreme Court to
\nserve 18-month's imprisonment in Cipinang Penitentiary, East
\nJakarta, over a land scam.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by the family's lawyer, Juan Felix Tampubolon,
\nTommy's wife, Ardhi Pramesti Rigita Cahyani, better known as
\nTata, told dozens of journalists after the questioning that she
\nstill had no idea of the whereabouts of her husband.<\/p>\n
She said that Tommy actually wanted to surrender to the police
\nbut finally decided to go into hiding due to a death threat he
\nreceived.<\/p>\n
"Actually, my husband really respects the law, but he's very
\nconcerned for his safety. That's why he is acting like this,"
\nTata said in tears.<\/p>\n
She did not say who had threatened her husband.<\/p>\n
The mother of two children, who still looked fresh even after
\nhours of questioning, said she also once received a death threat
\nvia phone from an unidentified person.<\/p>\n
While journalists were busy with Tata, Tommy's sister Siti
\nHutami Endang Adiningsih, who also had been questioned, used the
\nmoment to go to her car unobserved.<\/p>\n
According to Director of General Crime at the National Police
\nHeadquarters, Brig. Gen. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo, Hutami -- also
\nknown as Mamiek -- told interrogators that Tommy had contacted
\nher several times since his disappearance.<\/p>\n
"Three days ago (on Friday) Tommy called Mamiek to ask her if
\nhis son was alight," Alex told reporters.<\/p>\n
Juan confirmed Mamiek's disclosure but said that she did not
\nknow the whereabouts of her brother.<\/p>\n
"Pak Tommy has called Ibu Mamiek two or three times (since he
\ndisappeared) to tell her that he was okay," Juan said, adding
\nthat Tommy had not called Tata since his disappearance.<\/p>\n
According to Juan, other members of the former first family,
\nincluding sister Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, or Tutut, and brother
\nBambang Trihatmodjo, were scheduled to be questioned at police
\nheadquarters next week.<\/p>\n
Officer Alex said that Mamiek was scheduled to be questioned
\nagain at police headquarters on Thursday over illegal firearms
\npossession following the seizure of 108 guns from Soeharto and
\nhis family in September. The police said that the permits for the
\nfirearms had already expired.<\/p>\n
The police announced on Monday its plan to question Chief of
\nthe South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, Antasari Azhar, as a
\nwitness following the disappearance of Tommy, already dubbed the
\ncountry's most wanted fugitive.<\/p>\n
"The police will first finish questioning Tommy's wife and his
\nfour siblings. Then, we'll get to Antasari ... he must be
\nquestioned as a witness," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen.
\nSaleh Saaf told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"I am not saying there is, but there could have been
\ninvolvement of prosecutors in the disappearance of Tommy. We
\nwon't know anything until we check all aspects."<\/p>\n
Separately, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman, Azhar's
\nsuperior, said such a summons is only a follow-up from the
\nprosecutors' complaint to the police of moves taken by several
\npeople, including Tommy's lawyers and family, which indicated
\nattempts to help the fugitive escape detention.<\/p>\n
"We have worked closely with the police in arresting Tommy. I
\nthink this questioning is only to cross-check the testimonies of
\nother parties," he told journalists.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Azhar voiced his readiness to be questioned by the
\npolice over the circumstances of Tommy's disappearance.<\/p>\n
"I will come if it is considered necessary by the police," he
\ntold journalists at his office, saying that he has not received
\nany summons.<\/p>\n
"I think there is nothing unusual in the questioning, it's
\nlikely that the police only need to know our detailed moves
\nbefore Tommy was declared a fugitive," Antasari added.<\/p>\n
Tommy went missing on Nov. 3, a day after President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid refused to grant him a pardon.<\/p>\n
Currently the prosecutors are focusing on executing Tommy's
\nobligation to pay a part of the Rp 76.7 billion state loss in the
\n1995 land exchange deal between the latter's wholesaler PT Goro
\nBatara Sakti and the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).<\/p>\n
Prosecutors have seized four of Tommy's private assets,
\nincluding his residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta and three
\nplots of land in Bogor and Serang, with estimated values of Rp
\n30.6 billion, the sum which should be paid by the fugitive.
\n(jaw\/bby\/ylt\/bkm)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/family-members-questioned-over-tommys-absence-1447893297",
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