Former cop faces death penalty for drug trafficking

JAKARTA (JP): A former Malawi police officer on trial for trafficking 3.7 kilograms of heroin burst into tears yesterday when a prosecutor asked the court to sentence him to death.

Prosecutor Zaenal Abidin told Central Jakarta District Court that defendant Colling Nyi Bongo, 33, was guilty of violating Article 82 of Law 22/1977 on narcotics.

"The defendant has ruined the government program to crack down on narcotics. His actions could deprave youngsters," Zaenal said.

According to the prosecutor, Colling was arrested last year at Hotel Menteng on Jl. Cikini on Nov. 6, a day after his arrival from Bangkok.

On that day, Zaenal said, the defendant reported to the Lost & Found department of the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia at Soekarno-Hatta international airport here, saying that he had lost his bag.

After finding the missing bag, a Garuda Lost & Found employee went to Colling's hotel room as requested, the prosecutor said.

After checking on Colling's identity, the staffer handed over the heroin-filled bag to the defendant, Zaenal told the court.

Police officers, who had been informed about the contents of the bag and already surrounded the hotel room, promptly arrested and handcuffed Colling, he said.

Witnessed by the hotel staff, the police officers opened the bag and found the heroin in it, Zaenal said.

According to Colling, he was asked by a drug dealer, identified as Robinson, in Bangkok, to bring the bag which contained the heroin to Jakarta.

The defendant said a man hired by Robinson had been assigned to pick up the bag from him at the hotel later, the prosecutor said.

Colling's lawyer, Zainuddin Lubis, said, outside the court that the defendant did not deserve the death sentence because he had been framed by his friend, Mike.

Lubis quoted Colling as saying that his client did not know anything about Robinson and that the bag has nothing to do with him.

The bag was Colling's which he had lent to Mike, who wanted to use it to carry Indonesian garments he had bought from Jakarta to Bangkok, the lawyer said.

The two flew from Bangkok on the same flight, he said. Mike is still at large.

Judge Sujatno adjourned the trial until Wednesday to hear the defendant's response to the prosecutor's demand. (jun)