Cipinang Jail guard jailed for eight months

JAKARTA (JP): A Cipinang penitentiary guard will have to serve behind bars after the East Jakarta District Court yesterday convicted him of letting notorious businessman Eddy Tansil escaped in May.

Maryono, 47, was in charge of security in the particular block where Tansil was kept on the night of the escape.

He was found guilty of taking part in a conspiracy to make the escape possible, and received Rp 100,000 (US$45) for his part, according to the court.

"The defendant knew the money came from Tansil, which makes his crime even more serious," Judge Makmun said in reading the verdict.

Tansil, owner of the Golden Key Group, was in his second year of a 20-year jail term when he fled prison in May. He had been convicted of corruption charges amounting to Rp 1.3 trillion ($ 620 million) that nearly brought the state-owned Bank Pembangunan Indonesia to bankruptcy.

Tansil is still at large and is widely believed to have fled the country.

Maryono, who had worked in the penitentiary for seven years, said he needed time to think whether or not to appeal against the court's decision.

As he sobbed after hearing the verdict, he maintained his innocence.

"When I opened the door of the cell for Tansil, I didn't know that he would flee," he told reporters.

His lawyer, Daniel Panjaitan, said Maryono was only carrying out orders from his superiors when he opened the cell. He had no prior knowledge that Tansil was going to escape, the lawyer said.

Maryono is the second Cipinang penitentiary staff to be convicted in connection with the Tansil escape. The first one also received eight months imprisonment.

Three other employees are currently on trial on the same charges. (16)