Ismuhadi's lawyer blasts police

Sima Gunawan The Jakarta Post Jakarta

A lawyer denounced the police investigation of Sunday's blast at the Atrium Plaza Senen, saying several things were amiss.

Johnson Panjaitan of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said it was strange that one of the key witnesses, Ramli, the owner of the Ford Laser sedan in which the explosives were planted, was a friend of the police.

"The police know Ramli. I have received reports from reliable sources that some of the detectives got along well with him," Johnson said from city police headquarters.

"It is strange that they still can't find him and bring him in for questioning as he is a key witness in the blast," he added.

Ramli, the owner of a used car lot in the Kebon Jeruk area of West Jakarta, bought the sedan for Rp 15 million (US$1,579) from Aznani, the wife of Tengku Ismuhadi, who is serving a life sentence at Cipinang Penitentiary for his role in the Jakarta Stock Exchange blast last September.

Aznani, acting on instructions from Ismuhadi, sold the car two days before the bombing took place, a police report said.

Johnson said Ramli was known to have been involved in at least three cases of vehicle-related crimes, but he had not been summoned as a witness.

Johnson said Ramli also had a close relationship with a police detective named Idang.

"I have talked to officer Idang and he said he knew Ramli very well," Johnson, who is the lawyer for Tengku Ismuhadi and Aznani, said.

"Ramli is a 'mischievous businessman'," Johnson quoted Idang as saying.

Johnson also said that police were focusing on the car's sales transaction between Aznani and Ramli, and not with finding more information on how the car was obtained and used in the blast.

"When police summoned Ismuhadi for questioning (on late Thursday), they also focused on the car," Johnson said, adding that he suspected the police would soon charge Ismuhadi as a suspect in the blast.

Ismuhadi's wife, Aznani, was charged as a suspect in the blast.

"If police really charge him as a suspect, we will immediately file a pretrial suit against the police as they have a lack of evidence for charging either Ismuhadi or Aznani as suspects. The car no longer belongs to them," Johnson said.

When asked to comment, city police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said the police would continue the blast investigation and would uphold the law while carrying out the investigation.