Tansil's escape erodes trust in law enforcers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Fraudulent tycoon Eddy Tansil's dramatic escape
\nfrom prison, allegedly with the help of warders, has badly dented
\nthe public's trust in law enforcers, observers said yesterday.<\/p>\n
They said the escape of the businessman serving a 20-year
\nsentence for defrauding Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo) of
\n$620 million should prompt the government to review prison
\nsecurity systems.<\/p>\n
Ismail Hasan Metareum, chief of the United Development Party
\nand a deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, said
\nTansil's jailbreak has further smeared the image of Indonesia's
\nlaw enforcers.<\/p>\n
\"The startling news came at a time when the public is
\nquestioning law enforcers' integrity and independence of our
\njudicial system,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Convicted in 1994, Tansil escaped Saturday from the Cipinang
\nprison -- but it was reported to Minister of Justice Oetojo
\nOesman only on Tuesday. While in prison Tansil reportedly enjoyed
\nspecial treatment.<\/p>\n
Oetojo said yesterday eight prison warders have been
\nquestioned on suspicion they knew of the escape or colluded with
\nTansil to let the 42-year-old convict walk out of the
\npenitentiary.<\/p>\n
Oetojo has suspended Cipinang prison chief warden Mintardjo on
\ntwo grounds: carelessness in letting Tansil go out of the prison
\nand failing to promptly report on Tansil's escape.<\/p>\n
Ismail Hasan said his party will set up a special team to
\ninvestigate the case.<\/p>\n
Lawyer T. Mulya Lubis called the incident a \"tragedy\" of law
\nenforcement.<\/p>\n
\"It's not just the problem of the Cipinang penitentiary.
\nCollusion and bribery also take place in other correctional
\ninstitutions, in district courts, in the Supreme Court... This is
\nthe result of the 'collective sins' of law enforcers, including
\nsome defense lawyers,\" Lubis said.<\/p>\n
Political will from the government to apply the rule of law is
\nessential in the efforts to improve the situation, he said.<\/p>\n
Tansil's escape also provoked a strong reaction from the
\nIndonesian Bar Association.<\/p>\n
Djohan Djauhari, secretary general of the Association, said
\nthat Tansil's escape reflects weak supervision not only in the
\nCipinang penitentiary but in the legal system as a whole.<\/p>\n
\"Before he escaped, there had been reports that he received
\nspecial treatment from the penitentiary officers. The authorities
\nshould have probed the reports thoroughly and taken action
\nagainst those who gave him special treatment,\" Djohan told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Morally, the city justice office and the directorate general
\nof correctional affairs should be held responsible for the
\nescape, he said.<\/p>\n
He urged the government to evaluate supervision in the legal
\nsystem, especially in the penitentiaries, to prevent similar
\ncases occurring.<\/p>\n
Both Djohan and Lubis called for legal action against anyone
\ninvolved in Tansil's escape.<\/p>\n
\"Administrative action alone is not enough. They must be sent
\nto court for helping Eddy Tansil leave the prison,\" Lubis said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, House member A.A. Oka Mahendra from the ruling
\npolitical grouping, Golkar, pointed out that Tansil's escape
\nshows that the security system in the Cipinang prison is highly
\nquestionable.<\/p>\n
He questioned why justice officials ignored calls to transfer
\nTansil to the high security prison in the Nusa Kambangan Island,
\nCentral Java, where hardcore criminals serve their jail term.<\/p>\n
He called on the police to cooperate with their Interpol
\ncounterparts in their efforts to recapture the owner of the
\nGolden Key Group.<\/p>\n
Moestahid Astari, chief of the Golkar faction in the House,
\nsaid he strongly believed collusion was involved in the escape as
\nprivileges for the convict have become public knowledge.<\/p>\n
\"Eddy Tansil could easily obtain dispensation to go out of the
\nprison. The prison warders had been too generous about
\ndispensation, which Eddy Tansil finally took advantage of,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Legislator Suparman Achmad, chief of the Armed Forces (ABRI)
\nfaction in the House, said Tansil's disappearance was startling
\nand should provoke prison warders to tighten security.<\/p>\n
\"Our law enforcers should make total introspection,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Strong reaction also came from the Indonesian Democratic Party
\n(PDI).<\/p>\n
\"His escape is worsening public's cynicism of our law
\nenforcers,\" said chief of the PDI faction at the House Fatimah
\nAchmad.<\/p>\n
\"The authorities should do everything possible to recapture
\nhim, no mater how powerful his backers might be,\" she added.
\n(sim\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tansils-escape-erodes-trust-in-law-enforcers-1447893297",
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