Businessman denies mastermind role in robbery

BOGOR (JP): A businessman has denied any involvement in a robbery last Oct. 11 on the Jagorawi toll road in which one of his associates was shot.

The police detained Idfiel Jaya Anwar, 36, in December for being the mastermind behind the theft of Rp 312 million and the murder of Zaenuddin Lesmana.

He was released in April by the Cibinong prosecutor's office when another defendant, Erling Doly Wijaya alias Mikel, withdrew his statement that Idfiel had ordered the robbery and murder.

Idfiel, the victim and five defendants were involved in land appropriation for a project in Jonggol.

Idfiel; a forensic expert; an employee of the toll road management company, PT Jasa Marga; and another land broker gave evidence in the case Wednesday at the Bogor District Court.

He told the court, "I never told Mikel or anyone else to do the robbery. I didn't even know that Zaenuddin was withdrawing the money (from the state-owned BRI bank in Bogor) that day."

Idfiel said he was introduced to the victim by a business partner, H. Zaini, in August 1994. Idfiel said he then joined Zaini and Zaenuddin, and another man, Zainal Abidin, in appropriating land for the state-owned Perum Perumnas housing company.

The unnamed business alliance decided that Idfiel and Zainal would be responsible for raising the funds, Zaini would act as operations director while Zaenuddin would be the treasurer.

Idfiel also refuted the testimonies of earlier witnesses including Diar, one of his employees.

Diar had said she was ordered by Idfiel to tell Mikel to change his appearance and stay away from Bogor shortly after Zaenuddin's death.

"On the contrary I ordered that Mikel should come immediately to Bogor," Idfiel said, adding this was because police were interrogating him as a suspect and other people close to him.

The trial was adjourned until Monday. (24/anr)