Officials believe they can bring Zarima home<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Singgih and City Police Chief
\nMaj. Gen. Hamami Nata expressed yesterday their optimism about
\nbringing Ecstasy-case fugitive Zarima home from Houston for trial
\neven though Indonesia and the U.S. have no extradition treaty.<\/p>\n
Singgih said diplomatic access would enable Indonesian police
\nto bring the 24-year-old fugitive to Jakarta for prosecution.<\/p>\n
The woman is accused of possessing 29,677 Ecstasy pills. She
\nescaped during a police escort from the Tangerang police precinct
\nto Jakarta Police headquarters last August.<\/p>\n
Capt. Ade Sutiana, the head of the Tangerang police detectives
\nwho escorted her, was dismissed from his post the next day. ye is
\nnow temporarily employed in an administrative capacity at the
\nJakarta Police headquarters.<\/p>\n
Zarima was arrested on Tuesday (Jakarta time) by Jakarta
\npolice detectives, in cooperation with a Federal Bureau of
\nInvestigation (FBI) team, in a supermarket in Houston, U.S.<\/p>\n
Speaking before the limited cabinet ministers meeting at
\npresidential office Bina Graha, Singgih said Zarima's case was
\ndifferent from that of M. Said, a Garuda pilot who was arrested
\nby Dutch police at the Schipol airport on Sept. 29 for illegally
\ncarrying 8,000 Ecstasy pills.<\/p>\n
Indonesian police failed to have M. Said extradited from
\nHolland. Reports said he would be tried in Holland soon.<\/p>\n
\"M. Said allegedly committed the crime in the Netherlands
\nwhile Zarima committed the crime in Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung said he
\nwould instruct the police force to bring the woman back to
\nIndonesia as soon as all necessary procedures were completed in
\nthe U.S.<\/p>\n
Hamami Nata said at the Soekarno-Hatta airport upon his
\narrival from an official European visit and a religious visit to
\nMecca, that police would be able to take Zarima, alias Zarina,
\nhome whatever the hurdles were.<\/p>\n
\"I can assure you that we're able to bring the woman back home
\nsoon, hopefully this week,\" Hamami said.<\/p>\n
The public should not be worried about the deportation of
\nZarima even though she might have already hired a lawyer to
\ndefend her from being tried in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Hamami said police had worked quite a long time tracing the
\nfugitive and prepared everything, including the legal aspects for
\nthe arrest.<\/p>\n
No problem<\/p>\n
Senior advisor to the National Police Force, Gen. (ret)
\nAwaloedin Djamin, who accompanied Hamami on his visit, guaranteed
\nthe Jakarta police detectives would face no significant problems
\nin their efforts to bring Zarima back to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I guarantee that even though we have no extradition treaty
\nwith the U.S.\", Awaloedin, a former national police chief said.<\/p>\n
\"For many years, we've been deporting a large number of
\nforeigners wanted by their countries for their alleged role in
\ncrimes, why should we have to face problems if we need to get a
\ncriminal we want?\" Awaloedin said.<\/p>\n
Hamami said Zarima had not changed her appearance.<\/p>\n
\"She had been there about a month,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hamami expressed his gratitude to the U.S. authorities,
\nespecially the FBI officers, for their support.<\/p>\n
Hamami said Zarima had used a fake passport to leave
\nIndonesia. \"But I still have no idea about where she got the
\npassport from,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A noted lawyer, who requested anonymity, said on Tuesday that
\nit would not be easy to bring the woman home for trial.<\/p>\n
The lawyer said that things would become more complicated if
\nZarima hired a lawyer in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has no law which explicitly bans the mood-altering
\nstimulant Ecstasy but possessing, smuggling and trafficking the
\npills could be considered a breach of Health Law No. 23\/1992. The
\nlaw says those found guilty of possessing, smuggling and
\ntrafficking drugs illegally face a maximum 15 years jail term and
\na fine of up to Rp 300 million (US$128,200).<\/p>\n
Attorney General Singgih said Zarima must be punished harshly.
\n\"She will not only be prosecuted for possessing Ecstasy pills,
\nbut also for escaping police escort. Police have spent much money
\nto hunt her,\" Singgih said. (sur\/bsr)<\/p>",
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