Two more Garuda staff named suspects in Munir's murder case<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Two Garuda Indonesia crew members were named suspects by
\npolice investigators on Tuesday in the murder case of prominent
\nhuman rights activist Munir.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo
\nconfirmed that the police had declared Oedi Iriyanto and Yeti
\nSusmiyarti suspects, who were flight attendants working the
\nGaruda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004.<\/p>\n
The two of them were in charge of serving meals during the
\nflight.<\/p>\n
\"They are still being questioned by police investigators, and
\nwe need to wait for further details,\" Aryanto announced.<\/p>\n
Munir died on board that same Garuda flight on his way to
\nAmsterdam via Singapore. An autopsy conducted by the Dutch
\nauthorities found an excessive amount of arsenic in Munir's body
\nthat caused his death, strongly suggesting that he might have
\nbeen intentionally poisoned during the flight.<\/p>\n
Aryanto said that the two flight attendants would be charged
\nwith article 55 and 56 linked to article 340 of the Criminal Code
\non abetting premeditated murder.<\/p>\n
The police previously named Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari
\nPriyanto as the first suspect in the case, increasing the number
\nof suspects to three, all of whom are Garuda staff members.<\/p>\n
Garuda Indonesia lawyers Lutfi Hakim and Mohammad Assegaf said
\nthat they were surprised that their clients were named suspects
\nsince there was \"no relation\" between them and the case.<\/p>\n
\"They have been summoned twice before, but only as witnesses
\nand suddenly now they're declared suspects only because they
\nserved meals aboard the plane,\" Assegaf said.<\/p>\n
Hakim added that the two, Oedi working in the plane's pantry
\nsection and Yeti serving meals to the passengers, were simply
\ngoing about their normal duties on the flight.<\/p>\n
\"Oedi and Yeti are sure that nobody came to the pantry except
\nthemselves and nobody touched the sealed food supply or the
\nbeverage trolley,\" Hakim claimed.<\/p>\n
However, they acknowledged that Pollycarpus was aboard the
\nflight, as a passenger on his way to Singapore, and that he had
\nbeen seen walking around the business class and premium class
\nsections taking notes.<\/p>\n
According to Hakim, Yeti said that she received a request from
\nPollycarpus to move Munir from economy class to business class,
\nbut Yeti told him to talk to the chief steward.<\/p>\n
Hakim warned the police and said they should have investigated
\nthe matter further before naming the crew members as suspects.<\/p>\n
\"They were just doing their jobs and suddenly they are named
\nsuspects while the mastermind behind the murder is walking free,\"
\nHakim complained.<\/p>\n
Although Oedi and Yeti have been named suspects, they were not
\ndetained. Police investigators will continue their questioning of
\nthem on Wednesday. Garuda has not suspended the two.<\/p>\n
The police have been under pressure to thoroughly investigate
\nthe case particularly amid media speculation that certain
\nofficers and ex-officers of the National Intelligence Agency
\n(BIN) may have been involved in the case.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-more-garuda-staff-named-suspects-in-munirs-murder-case-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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