Doctor says he gave Tansil references

JAKARTA (JP): A doctor revealed in court yesterday that he had provided recommendation letters to Eddy Tansil on four occasions which enabled the notorious jailbird to receive out-of-prison medical check-ups since early 1996.

However, Ilham, 46, a doctor at Cipinang penitentiary from which Tansil made his escape, admitted to the East Jakarta District Court that he did not closely monitor Tansil's medical record when he signed the recommendation letters.

"Now, I admit that it was a mistake," Ilham, who has only worked in the prison for five years, told the court.

Ilham was giving testimony yesterday in the trial of prison warden Soep, 46, who has been indicted for complicity with other prison guards in helping Tansil escape on May 4.

"If you had not given Tansil the letters of recommendation, he would not have escaped," presiding Judge Willyarto told Ilham.

Previous testimonies from the four other defendants, DH, SM, MH, and Mar, revealed that Eddy Tansil had obtained three official letters which allowed him to leave the prison for a medical check-up on May 6, including one signed by Ilham. Tansil, however, was let out of prison on May 4 to receive the check-up.

When asked by Judge Willyarto whether the idea to provide recommendations were Tansil's or his own, Ilham admitted the letters were his idea.

"I gave the letters of recommendation because I could not handle Tansil's heart disease," Ilham told the court.

However, Ilham said he could not show the court Tansil's prison medical record, claiming it had been seized by the police when they were investigating the case.

When confronted with Ilham's testimony, Soep, who was accompanied by a team of lawyers from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, told the court he knew nothing about it.

Soep was indicted for complicity with four other prison guards in helping Tansil escape on May 4. The four other suspects are also being tried separately in the same court.

Tansil, owner of the Golden Key Group of businesses, was serving a 20-year jail term when he escaped from the prison. He was jailed for defrauding Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo) of US$620 million.

Soep admitted yesterday to accepting a Rp 100,000 tip from Tansil. He and the other defendants are being charged under Article 419 of the Criminal Code.

The article states that any government employee who accepts a gift while knowing it is intended to influence them into doing something contrary to their job is liable to a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

During yesterday's hearing session, it was also revealed that the possibility for further police investigation of those allegedly involved in Tansil's escape was "still in the dark" as Soep's prosecutor, Achmad Sofian, said. (26)