Kalimantan murder case takes a new twist
Kalimantan murder case takes a new twist
JAKARTA (JP): A 1987 murder case that attracted a lot of controversy over allegations of wrongful convictions has taken a new twist with the three men, who were convicted and later released on parole, now the subject of a new police investigation.
Brig. Gen. Rusdiardjo, head of the National Police Crime Investigation Directorate, announced yesterday that his office is gathering evidence against Lingah (51), Pacah (43) and Sumir (43) for allegedly torturing another person, Asun, into confessing to the murder.
Rusdiardjo said the police investigation of Asun, already convicted for the rape and murder of Pacah's daughter, found no evidence that he also murdered Pamor. Police also talked to six witnesses who corroborated Asun's story.
Lingah, Pacah and Sumir had already been convicted by the Ketapang district court in West Kalimantan for killing Pamor with a shotgun. The motive was inheritance.
Asun, 20, made the startling revelation in 1992 during his trial for the murder of Pacah's daughter that he also murdered Pamor. This immediately prompted calls from lawyers and human rights campaigners to free the three men who were convicted of and serving jail terms for the murder.
The authorities rejected the demands but the three men were given conditional release last September. Since then, with the help of lawyers, they have been fighting to have their names cleared by the court by demanding that the authorities reopen the murder case.
"Our investigation found that Asun was intimidated by the three men into admitting to the killing of Pamor," Rusdiardjo said, adding that this occurred when Asun was put in the same detention center in Ketapang with the three men.
There were also allegations that prison guards took part in beating Asun, but Rusdiardjo refused to deny or confirm this.
Rusdiardjo did not explain how the authorities could have put Asun in the same jail as the father of the girl he had earlier raped and murdered.
He acknowledged that it is normal for a convicted rapist, considered by inmates to be the worst of sinners, to get tortured by the other inmates. In the case of Asun, his sin had been further complicated by the fact that the father of the raped girl was in the same jail.
The police investigation found that Asun was also promised Rp 150,000 ($70) by the three men to admit to Pamor's murder.
"That's a lot of money for someone like Asun, who comes from a small town," Rusdiardjo said.
Sumir also taught Asun how to use a gun similar to the one the three used to kill Pamor, in order to make their story more convincing, he said.
Lingah was serving a 12 year jail term and Pancah and Sumir were serving 11 years each for the murder. They were released on parole in September after serving two-thirds of their sentences.
Rusdiardjo said that as far as the police are concerned, Asun's case is closed.
Now they are turning their investigation to the three men, for assaulting Asun, he said. (bsr)