Cipinang Jail guard jailed for eight months

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)