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.