Experts urge police to open frozen cases

JAKARTA (JP): Police should reopen investigations into controversial criminal cases not revealed to the public immediately after they find new evidence or obtain testimony from parties related to the cases, experts said on Friday.

Former National Police chief Awaloeddin Djamin said there should not be anymore political or bureaucratic restraints to reopening investigations into long forgotten cases.

"It should be an easy process. Police only need to complete the dossiers and submit them to the prosecutors' office," Awaloeddin told The Jakarta Post.

He was commenting on the National Police forensics laboratory's (Puslabfor) recent move to partially reveal the truth in at least two controversial and undisclosed cases -- the 1986 brutal murder of fashion model Dietje Budiasih Budimulyono, and the 1997 fire at the Central Bank building which claimed 15 lives.

Similarly, criminologist Adrianus Meliala said police should reinvestigate all frozen cases and disclose all facts and evidence to the public.

"It's legally possible to reopen investigations into such undisclosed cases. Even a court's verdict, which is legally binding, could be overruled," he told the Post.

Meliala said police should ignore any "phone calls" from high- ranking military or government officials and proceed with the investigation.

However, he said relatives of the victims or the implicated parties, the press and the central government should actively pressure the police to submit the case to the prosecutors' office.

Meanwhile, lawyer Luhut M. Pangaribuan said the police should listen to the peoples' aspirations and follow up on all information provided by the public or related parties.

"If the national police chief resists reopening cases, the president should consider replacing the chief," he told the Post, adding that nowadays police could not stifle investigations into cases as easily as before.

Meliala said the National Police forensics laboratory (Puslabfor) functions as a support to the police, in instances where police detectives hold the main role as the law enforcers and can't work as investigators.

"It's impossible for the Puslabfor to disclose frozen cases without agreement from police detectives," he said, "it has to cooperate with the police detectives, its closest partners, in investigating the cases."

Proactive

Meliala said the police should be proactive in their investigations.

"The move by Puslabfor chief Brig. Gen. Suwahyu only indicated an internal reform within the institution," he said.

Awaloeddin said the forensic laboratory unit did not have the authority to make a judgment on any cases, but only to provide technical assistance to the police.

"They should not loose their objectivity. They don't need to evaluate the cases, only to examine evidence as they have been told to by the investigators," he said. (01)