Bunker search leads police to drill into Tommy's home

Bunker search leads police to drill into Tommy's home

JAKARTA (JP): Using drills and jack hammers until late on
Monday night, the police were still trying to open an alleged
underground bunker below the residence of fugitive Hutomo "Tommy"
Mandala Putra, despite President Abdurrahman Wahid's claim that
Tommy was hiding in a former general's house.

"We need special equipment to continue drilling into the floor
of Tommy's fitness center. We have gone a little beyond 20
centimeters, and we'll keep on going until we reach it," Comr.
Rycko Amelza Daniel of the City Police Detectives unit told The
Jakarta Post on Monday night.

"We believe that a door is hidden under 50 centimeters of
marble flooring... and that the alleged bunker goes into the
residence of Tommy's father (Soeharto) on Jl. Cendana (Menteng,
Central Jakarta)."

After conducting raids in over 100 places nationwide last
week, including the Surakarta residence of former Minister of
Defense and Security, Gen. (ret) Wiranto, police suspect that the
38-year Tommy could be hiding in the alleged bunker.

Tommy has been on the run since November after President
Abdurrahman Wahid rejected his pardon proposal over an 18-month
jail term imposed for a graft case by the Supreme Court.

Senior police officers, Tommy's nephew Ari Sigit, Tommy's
lawyers Elza Syarief and Nudirman Munir, and the Soeharto family
lawyer, Juan Felix Tampubolon, were among those present during
the Monday afternoon drilling.

Juan told reporters that police were "illegally breaking the
floors of Tommy's home," as the police had no warrant from any
court in Jakarta to break the floor of the fugitive's home.

"The police only have a search warrant. We strongly object to
this demolition and will soon take legal action. This demolition
has nothing to do with the confiscation of Tommy's home and
police need to have a permit for demolition," Juan told
reporters.

In response, Jakarta Police detectives chief for general
crimes Adj. High Comr. Tito Karnavian said that other than the
search warrant, police were abiding by existing regulations.

"Take a look at Article 34 of the Criminal Code Procedures.
You'll know what I mean," Tito told reporters.

The Article states that in the case of emergency situations,
where investigators must act immediately before being able to
obtain an official permit, investigators can carry out raids on
specified places, including a suspect's residence or the place
where a suspect is hiding.

Tampubolon described the hidden room as an old warehouse and
denied Tommy was using it as a place of hiding.

In a recent interview with Newsweek, President Abdurrahman
said the government knew where Tommy was hiding.

"He lives in the house of a former general. We know exactly
where the house is. The problem is having enough evidence for the
police to act. They will when the time is right," Abdurrahman
said as quoted by the US magazine.

Meanwhile, a member of National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) Koesparmono Irsan said police have no choice but to
prove through scientific investigation that "there is a bunker
under Tommy's house".

"I believe that only with solid and scientific evidence, can
the police proceed in their search for Tommy.

"Competent forensic experts have to check the building again
and the police will have to be ready to admit the (forensic
findings) whether they are successful or not," Koesparmono told
The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a forensic training session
on Monday.

"But then again, if the bunker really does exist, will he
(Tommy) be stupid enough to hide there? Police have to figure out
their next step then," Koesparmono, a retired police general,
said. (bby/edt/ylt)