Brothel operator denies working girls' testimonies

JAKARTA (JP): Hartono Setyawan told presiding Judge Stephanus Sutrisno at his trial in the South Jakarta District Court yesterday the three prostitutes caught red handed by the police at Century Park Hotel on July 23 were not his call girls.

He said Nova Novianti, Natalia Risani and Nunuk Sriyanti were not working for his brothel when police arrested them.

"I was in Semarang, Central Java, when the police arrested them and had no knowledge on their activities," he said.

Nova Novianti and Natalia Risani alleged in their written testimony on Nov. 2 that Hartono, the alleged owner of a high- class brothel in South Jakarta, was acting as their guardian when they were captured on July 23.

Hartono said he never ordered his "employees" to offer sexual services to their clients because his business was not prostitution. "It was more like an escort service or guide service," he said.

Hartono did admit he charged his clients Rp 750,000 (US$343) for three hours and Rp 1.5 million for overnight. He said he took half of his employees' incomes.

One of the reasons he gave for this was that he lent the women money for plastic surgery.

Hartono said he never had problems recruiting new "employees" because there were many girls who came to his house asking for a job.

He said he was the only person responsible for recruiting his girls. "I recruited single women who were over twenty years of age and beauty was not the main requirement, as long as they had charm." Their education background was also important to him.

Judge Stephanus Sutrisno decided to hold the next court hearing at Jl. Prapanca Raya 4, South Jakarta, the alleged brothel. The site examination is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29.

Hartono, 42, was arrested on July 27, at his mansion in the Pondok Indah housing complex, South Jakarta.

The alleged panderer was apprehended following the arrest of six occupants of a well-known brothel on Jl. Prapanca Raya.

Also arrested were Kho Ghay Goen, alias Gunawan, Hartono's assistant, Hamzah, a receptionist, and Ari Dewanto, the driver of a minivan used to transport the call girls from the brothel to their destinations.

Hartono was arrested in 1986 for running a brothel at the "Prapanca House", a popular name used by his clients for his brothel.

He was sentenced by the South Jakarta District Court to eight months imprisonment that time. The verdict was later overruled by the Jakarta High Court, which sentenced him to two years probation.(mas)