Gunawan still in city, plans to surrender: Police

Gunawan still in city, plans to surrender: Police

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A police source revealed on Thursday that fugitive Gunawan
Santoso alias Acin, former son-in-law of the late Boedyharto
Angsono, 60, president of computer firm PT Asaba was still in the
city and planned to surrender.

"It is likely that Gunawan is still in the city. His middleman
said that he was ready to give himself up last night, but I
waited until 1 a.m. this morning and he failed to show up," said
the middle-ranking police detective, who is in charge of the
pursuit of Gunawan.

Police have been looking for Gunawan since he escaped from the
Kuningan Penitentiary in Cirebon, West Java, on Jan 15. He was
serving a prison sentence of two years and seven months for the
Rp 40 billion (US$4,706) embezzlement of Boedyharto's seven
firms, including PT Asaba.

Police said earlier that they had received a request from the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to search for Gunawan.

But, curiously, minister of justice and human rights Yusril
Ihza Mahendra told reporters on Thursday that he had no knowledge
of the escape of Gunawan from prison.

"Who is Gunawan? I have not been informed of his escape. But I
will take stern action if I find that there has been a collusion
between officials of the penitentiary and the fugitive," Yusril
said.

Police sources said they also wanted to investigate Gunawan in
relation to the murder of Boedyharto and his Army' Special Forces
bodyguard First. Sgt. Edy Siyet at the Sasana Krida sports
stadium in North Jakarta.

It was alleged by Boedyharto's family that Gunawan was the
mastermind behind Saturday's shootings.

The family also suspected Gunawan was behind another shooting
incident, in which Paulus Tejakusuma, PT Asaba's finance
director, was severely injured, in June this year.

North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo played down
the allegations, saying that police had yet named Gunawan as a
suspect.