Dossiers of South Koreans not yet ready

JAKARTA (JP): The police have delayed submitting to the Prosecutor's Office the dossiers of two executives of South Korean Hanbo General Contractors, who are being investigated in connection with the collapse of the Grogol overpass which killed three workers.

A senior West Jakarta police detective, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that more testimonies from workers are needed.

A 30-meter part of the overpass, designed to link Jl. Daan Mogot and Jl. S. Parman, collapsed on March 22. Three workers were killed and 18 others were injured.

West Jakarta police chief, Lt. Col. Hari Pribadi, who will leave his post this Saturday, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

About two weeks after the incident, he told the Post that the dossiers on the two South Koreans, identified only as KHW and LBW, who are Hanbo's general superintendent and project construction manager respectively, have been completed.

"We'll submit the dossiers to the Prosecutor's Office as soon as we get a copy of the report on the collapse of the overpass currently being examined by National Police forensic scientists," officer Hari said at that time.

The forensic report, scheduled to be completed soon, will be used by police as supporting material evidence, he said.

According to the police source, the completion of the dossiers could be complicated as police have to assemble a strong case to charge the two foreigners with negligence.

"That's why we need more time," said the detective.

When asked to comment, Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said: "It's not a rare thing when police are asked to modify dossiers. Therefore, we have to correct the dossiers again and again to make sure that everything is legally acceptable." He brushed off rumors that the case might have been settled out of court.

The two Koreans were the project's highest-ranking personnel at the site when the overpass collapsed, said Hari.

According to Hari, it was LBW who allegedly assigned the workers, numbering around 20, to remove the bracings supporting the loop ramp several days before the accident.

If found guilty, the two will face a maximum prison term of five years each as stipulated in article 359 of the Criminal Code.

The two suspects have not been detained but the police have confiscated their passports to prevent them leaving the country. (bsr)