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)