Yorrys goes free, police dumbfounded<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City Police have expressed dissatisfaction with
\na panel of judges and their decision on Monday to clear Yorrys
\nRaweyai, an executive of the powerful Pemuda Pancasila youth
\norganization, and his six accomplices of gambling charges.<\/p>\n
\"We're not assuming anything,\" said City Police spokesman Lt.
\nCol. Bambang Haryoko. \"But the question is how can he be
\nacquitted of the charges?\"<\/p>\n
Bambang made the remarks on Tuesday in response to reporters'
\nquestions about the controversial decision of the judges, led by
\njustice Ismail Sebayang, at the West Jakarta district court.<\/p>\n
The verdict to let the controversial figure and his friends go
\nfree will not stop the police in their efforts to fight gambling
\nin this city, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We'll continue to take immediate actions against any types of
\ngambling even if we have to face technical procedure problems,\"
\ndeclared Bambang.<\/p>\n
Justice Ismail told the court on Monday that Yorrys, 43, along
\nwith Abidin, 52, Bok Tjin Lin, alias Halim Harto, 45, Ng A Tjan,
\nalias Herman Tjandra, 64, Sundoro Tan, 46, Subianto, alias Tju
\nBin Kiat, 53, and Hadi Mustofa Ching, 44, were innocent.<\/p>\n
The prosecution failed to prove that the accused had been
\ninvolved in gambling, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, their good names should be restored to them, while
\nevidentiary material, such as the Rp 1,572,000 (US$691) in cash,
\nplaying cards, coins and a table should be returned to their
\nrightful owners,\" continued the judge, who was accompanied by
\nJustices Abdulrahim and Djupri Baidjuri.<\/p>\n
The decision came as no surprise to many in this city who had
\npredicted an acquittal given Yorrys' social stature.<\/p>\n
Yorrys and the other six people were arrested on the evening
\nof July 29 by a team of city police detectives at Abidin's
\nwarehouse on Jl. Daan Mogot 125 in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Prosecutor M. Noor Said had sought a prison sentence
\nof eight months for Yorrys, who is the day-to-day chairman of the
\ninfamous youth organization, and the other accused with the
\nexception of Abidin.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor recommended that Abidin, the owner of the
\npremises, be sentenced to 10 months in prison.<\/p>\n
According to the panel of judges, the prosecutor's charges
\nwere not substantiated due to the single eyewitness in the case,
\nwhose testimony was called illogical.<\/p>\n
Witness Markus told the court that he used a ladder to see the
\ngroup gambling through a small ventilation window on the third
\nfloor of Abidin's warehouse.<\/p>\n
But he admitted that he had recognized neither the people nor
\nthe gambling equipment being used.<\/p>\n
During the trial, all of the suspects denied Markus'
\nstatements, saying that they had been watching television and
\nsinging karaoke.<\/p>\n
The judges said that they doubted Markus' testimony because of
\nthe size of the ventilation window, saying it would have been
\ndifficult to see anything clearly.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the judges said, it was illogical that Markus would
\nhave carried a ladder from the city police headquarters in order
\nto arrest gamblers.<\/p>\n
\"Which part was illogical?\" asked Bambang.<\/p>\n
\"It's normal in our operations to bring as many tools as we
\ncan, especially in a raid against suspected gambling dens, which
\nare generally protected by dozens of bodyguards and layers of
\ncamouflaged walls equipped with modern equipment,\" said the
\nformer city police detective.<\/p>\n
\"Such a gambling ring is almost like those run by professional
\norganized crime groups,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
He added that the arrest of Yorrys and his group members was
\nnot as easy as a police raid against street gamblers. Low-ranking
\npolice personnel, who are almost at the front of many police
\noperations, are frequently faced with obstacles, mostly bribes
\nfrom the suspects.<\/p>\n
Bambang, therefore, urged the police personnel not to be
\nattracted by quick hush money.<\/p>\n
Even though the local authorities have recently started again
\nto fight against gambling, illegal gambling businesses are
\nflourishing in this town. Games are mostly held at hotels,
\nprivate houses and storehouses in North and West Jakarta. (bsr)<\/p>",
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