Landslide case handed over to prosecutors

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

After a month long investigation, Cimahi Police submitted to prosecutor's on Monday the case file of Awan Gumelar, a suspect in the Leuwigajah landslide case last month that killed 143 residents.

Awan, the head of Bandung municipality's sanitation office was not present at the Baleendah Prosecutor's Office in Bandung. "But, there is no problem with that. The most important thing is that he attends the trial," said Cimahi Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Irwanto.

Awan has been charged with negligence that caused human fatalities. If found guilty he could be sentenced to up to five years' imprisonment. He has also been charged with mismanagement at the dump, which may have led to the landslide.

Evidence was also handed over to prosecutors, including pictures taken in the aftermath of the landslide. The case file was compiled based on 14 witnesses' statements, including an expert witness from the West Java provincial administration's environmental office.

The Leuwigajah dump collapsed onto two villages on Feb. 21 last month. The landslide was the sixth since the dump opened in 1992. A slide at the dump in 1994 flattened six houses but caused no casualties.