Jail officials may face lawsuit for teenage inmate's death

JAKARTA (JP): The lawyer of a teenage inmate who died in hospital on Monday will sue Pondok Bambu penitentiary if there are indications the prison's poor facilities led to his death.

"We are intending to file a lawsuit against the prison's management, but at the moment we are still studying the case," lawyer Dewi Yuliani said at St. Carolus Hospital yesterday.

The penitentiary's officers sent Lambertus Lele Koban, 13, who they said had a fever, to Kramat Jati Police Hospital on Monday. But a few hours later he died at the hospital.

Lambertus was serving an eight-year jail term for his role in the murder of a mother and her three children at their home in Pondok Bambu subdistrict, East Jakarta on Oct. 2 last year.

He had served five months of the sentence handed down on June 6.

Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital forensic expert Abdul Mun'im Idris, after examining the victim's body, concluded a lung infection killed Lambertus.

"I found fester in his lungs," Mun'im said.

Dewi said she visited Lambertus 10 days ago at the penitentiary and saw him in good health.

"Police should investigate Lambertus's death," Farida, a lawyer from OC Kaligis law firm, said.

Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman denied Lambertus's death was caused by the penitentiary's poor conditions.

"The health facilities and doctors at the penitentiary are good enough."

He said after a regular medical check up, the penitentiary's officers found Lambertus suffering from a fever and sent him to hospital.

Meanwhile noted psychiatrist Dadang Hawari, from the University of Indonesia, said the penitentiary's poor conditions might have led to Lambertus' death.

"That's why it's imperative for the authorities to hold comprehensive medical check-ups on defendants before sending them to jails," Dadang said.

Lambertus was found guilty of helping his uncle, Philipus Kia Ledjab, murder Eli Kusnaeli and her three children.

Philipus was sentenced to life imprisonment. Philipus' wife, Suparmi, was sentenced to 20 years and her sons, Albertus and Clemence, each got eight years for their involvement in the murder.

The East Jakarta Court's judges said Philipus killed the victims for destroying his cassava garden.

Lambertus was buried yesterday afternoon at Pondok Rangon cemetery in Cibubur, East Jakarta. (jun/bsr/ 07/08)

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