Jail guard denies police report over car bribe
Jail guard denies police report over car bribe
JAKARTA (JP): A senior prison guard being tried over his
involvement in businessman Eddy Tansil's escape denied yesterday
in court a police report he was promised a Kijang van for
masterminding the businessman's escape.
The defendant, identified only as DD, said: "What was written
in the dossier, that Tansil had promised me a van, was the police
interrogator's mistake."
Judge Tarbin of the East Jakarta District Court examined to
what extent the defendant was involved in Tansil's escape. He
repeatedly asked why the police dossier contained an admission
that he was promised a Kijang van if it was not true.
The 44-year-old defendant looked abashed and kept silent after
the judge grilled him.
The defendant said he received Rp 2 million (US$850), which he
distributed to eight of his subordinates.
He admitted keeping Rp 200,000.
The defendant said Tansil gave him the money when he brought
the businessman to the Cipinang penitentiary warders' housing
complex, where the defendant lived.
On the defendant's order, Tansil was escorted by prison guard
Suwarno, whom the court has sentenced to two years in jail, to
Plaza Gadjahmada, Central Jakarta, before the businessman escaped
in May.
Tansil, the owner of the Golden Key Group, was convicted of
swindling Rp 1.3 trillion ($620 million) out the state-owned Bank
Pembangunan Indonesia, which nearly bankrupt it. He was in the
second year of a 20-year jail term. Tansil is still at large and
is believed to have fled the country.
Judge Tarbin challenged the defendant: "Why did you let Tansil
go out of the prison when you knew it should not have happened
that way?"
The defendant stammeringly admitted he let Tansil leave the
prison two days before he was due to leave for a medical check-
up, because he thought Tansil would return to prison.
However, the defendant, who was in charge of 44 guards, said
he was mobbed by about dozen police officers during the
interrogation.
"While in police custody, they slapped me on the cheeks and
ears," the defendant said.
The defendant said other suspects were also beaten by police.
He showed scars on his shins which he said came from police
kicking him with pointed shoes.
He said he was accompanied by his former lawyer, whom he said
did nothing upon seeing the police's interrogation tactics.
Defense lawyer Daniel Panjaitan said the lawyers team from the
Jakarta Legal Aid Institute accepted the defendant's
representation only a week before the trial began last month.
The case has been adjourned until Wednesday so the presiding
judge, Soenarto, can go to the prison. (07)