Inspection of murder case evidence delayed
Inspection of murder case evidence delayed
JAKARTA (JP): National police have not been able to inspect
material evidence from the Los Angeles triple murder case
involving Harnoko Dewantono because of the absence of witnesses
and an official report for its opening.
"The evidence is still being stored at the National Police
Forensic Laboratory Center," Brig. Gen. I Ketut Ratta, spokesman
for the national police, said yesterday.
The material evidence was handed over on Monday by city police
to the National Police Forensic Laboratory Center and was
scheduled to be opened and inspected yesterday.
The witnesses, according to Ratta, are Harnoko, alias Oki, who
is currently being tried at the South Jakarta District Court for
his alleged role in passport forgery, relatives of the victims,
officials of the Central Jakarta district court and police
investigators.
"In line with the existing regulations, there should be at
least two witnesses, who must be present at the opening of the
evidence. Its opening also has to be accompanied by an official
report," Ratta said.
No official information has been available about the contents
of the packages, which are tightly sealed in two boxes and a bag.
Upon arrival of the material evidence on Sunday at Soekarno-
Hatta airport from the United States police officers said that
two firearms were among the items.
Another police source, who asked not to be identified, said
that the two firearms in question are a .38 caliber revolver and
an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle.
The packages also contained bullets, video cassettes of the
crime scenes and a bag belonging to one of the victims, the
source said.
All of the evidence will be examined by Indonesian police
forensic pathologists in order to complete the police dossiers of
Oki's alleged role in the Los Angeles triple murder, before being
submitted to the prosecutors' office.
The United States government made an official request of
asking Jakarta to expel Oki from Indonesia so that he could be
tried in Los Angeles.
Previously, many believed that the case would be rejected for
trial here due to the lack of evidence. At that time, police only
had documents and written confessions from witnesses.
Oki was on the Los Angeles police's wanted list for his
alleged role in the killing of Suresh Mirchandani, his Indian
business partner, Gina Sutan Aswar, his Indonesian female
business partner and Tri (Eri) Harto Darmawan, his brother. Their
decomposed bodies were found in a Los Angeles storage locker in
August last year.
He was apprehended in Jakarta earlier this year for alleged
passport forgery and was later questioned about the murders.
(bsr/hhr)