Yorrys, three other defendants deny police testimony<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Yorrys Raweyai and three other alleged gamblers
\nstrongly denied the testimonies of two police officers at West
\nJakarta District Court yesterday, who said the four halted
\ngambling practices and hid evidence 10 minutes prior to the raid.<\/p>\n
\"Your Honor, I object to the witnesses' testimony because I
\nwas watching the nine o'clock news on television when the police
\nentered the room,\" said Yorrys, while the three others said they
\nwere singing on a Karaoke machine in another room.<\/p>\n
The two police officers are Lt. Eko Giri Nugroho and Sgt.
\nSuhardiyanto.<\/p>\n
Sgt. Suhardiyanto said the police had placed an undercover
\nofficer in the room who gave the signal for the police raid to
\ncommence.<\/p>\n
Suhardiyanto said that he did not actually see the defendants
\ngambling but is convinced they abruptly stopped playing and hid
\nsome of the evidence before the police succeeded in entering the
\nroom, which was on the third floor of the building.<\/p>\n
\"They must have known of our arrival because it took us 10
\nminutes to force the back door. By the time we entered the room
\nthere was just some money and gambling paraphernalia left on the
\ntable,\" said Suhardiyanto.<\/p>\n
He added that the raid team did not confiscate all the
\ngambling paraphernalia but did seize some cards and money.<\/p>\n
In the court session led by presiding judge Ismail Sebayang,
\nprosecutor Noor Said presented the evidence to the court.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Lt. Eko, who led the raid, said that the three-
\nstory storehouse owned by Abidin had been under surveillance
\nconstantly, after having received reports of the place being a
\ngambling den.<\/p>\n
Eko also said that shortly after the raid Yorrys admitted to
\nhim that he played rummy there.<\/p>\n
\"The police never use force in their questioning, especially
\npeople of that caliber,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Objection<\/p>\n
The defendants' lawyer Tommy Sihotang, has objected to the use
\nof the word \"caliber\" in Eko's statement, saying that it is
\nbiased.<\/p>\n
Tommy then requested the judge visit the storehouse where
\nYorrys and the other defendants were apprehended.<\/p>\n
Judge Ismail approved the request and set the next hearing for
\nOct. 3 at the storehouse.<\/p>\n
The trial was also attended by around 30 women from the
\nDarussalam Islamic boarding school, a school where Yorrys is on
\nthe board of patrons.<\/p>\n
Yorrys, the day-to-day chairman of the Golkar-affiliated
\nPemuda Pancasila youth organization, and six other alleged
\ngamblers were apprehended on July 29 for organizing games of
\nchance at a storehouse on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Yorrys was arrested along with the others, but was released on
\nbail shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n
The seven defendants are being tried in two separate trials
\nwith the same judges and prosecutors. The first group consists of
\nAbidin, Halim Harto and Herman Chandra, who are accused of being
\nthe owners of the den.<\/p>\n
Yorrys is being tried along with three other alleged gamblers:
\nSundoro Tan, Budianto and Hadi Mustapa.(mas)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yorrys-three-other-defendants-deny-police-testimony-1447893297",
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