Military police to question Ade Sutiana ahead of trial

JAKARTA (JP): Police have handed over Capt. Ade Sutiana, a Tangerang police detective detained following the escape of an alleged drug-trafficker, to the Jakarta Military Police for further questioning prior to trial by military tribunal.

"We've received the suspect and all dossiers related to his case," Col. Djasri M., commander of the Jakarta Military Police, said on Saturday.

According to Djasri, the dossiers will be used as a recommendation for Djasri's personnel to requestion Ade.

"We're prioritizing this case but we haven't set any specific deadline," Djasri said.

Soon after questioning at the Jakarta Military Police complete, Ade and the "reviewed" dossiers will be tried by a military court.

Capt. Ade, head of the Tangerang police detectives, has been under investigation since the Aug. 8 escape of Zarima, who allegedly escaped from Ade's custody after he reportedly allowed her to bathe at her family's house in West Jakarta.

The officer, who was immediately dismissed from his job, was accused of further negligence because he lent his mobile telephone to the escapee, who apparently used it to arrange her escape.

Zarima was apprehended by Ade's personnel on Aug. 7 along with the 29,677 Ecstasy pills -- worth at least Rp 1.78 billion (US$757,700) on the black market -- at her home in the Taman Alfa Indah housing complex in Joglo, West Jakarta.

On the following evening, Ade was assigned by his superior to escort Zarima and the pills to the Jakarta Police headquarters for further investigation.

On the way, Zarima asked Ade if they could stop at her parent's house, also in Taman Alfa Indah, so that she could bathe.

A few minutes later the suspect, who was not handcuffed, escaped and her whereabouts remains a mystery.

No announcement has been made on what charge Ade will face at the military tribunal. However, a reliable source said that Ade may face criminal charges.

"But I have no idea what the charges are," he said asking for anonymity.

No officers have been willing to describe the preliminary conclusion of Ade's questioning at the Jakarta Police Internal Affairs.

When contacted over the weekend, Jakarta Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna kept on saying he had no idea about the outcome of the questioning.

Besides Ade, another Tangerang officer, Capt. Unggul, head of the Serpong Police subprecinct was detained for extortion at the Jakarta Police a few days after Ade was arrested.

Police officers are also reluctant to explain the preliminary investigation of Unggul's case, saying that "everything's still under investigation".

Col. Djasri said: "We're also waiting for the handover of Unggul and his dossiers."

Unggul was reportedly apprehended for his alleged role in extorting money from a 70 year old suspected of running a gambling den. The man and his personnel are in police custody.

Sources said that Unggul had reportedly promised one of the suspected gamblers that for Rp 10 million (US$4,255) and a 1,000 square meter plot of land he would arrange his release.

Another version is that Unggul was setup by a local gambler, who had arranged for a senior police officer to be present when a deal was struck with Unggul. (bsr)