No BIN role in Munir case: Former chief

No BIN role in Munir case: Former chief

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former intelligence chief A.M. Hendropriyono denied on
Thursday allegations that the National Intelligence Agency (BIN)
was involved in the murder of human rights campaigner Munir.

"I never ordered the murder. If it is the work of the
institution, I should know. (But) if it is the work of
individuals at BIN, then let the legal process proceed,"
Hendropriyono said at The Jakarta Post office on Thursday.

Hendropriyono visited thePost to clarify Thursday's page one
story "BIN involved in killing Munir: Team" quoting officials
from the government-sanctioned fact-finding team investigating
Munir's death, who said that BIN officials were believed to have
been involved in the murder.

He said that he had no motivation to kill Munir although they
held sharply contrasting views on different issues, including on
how to curb terrorism.

"Many may have connected me with the death of Munir because I
once urged the authority of this country to produce a tough
regulation to curb terrorism, while Munir was against such an
idea. Munir had also criticized the intelligence agency in many
ways ... but it (such criticism) would not give me enough
motivation to kill him," Hendropriyono said.

In its report set for submission to President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono on Friday, the fact-finding team concluded that there
was evidence BIN officials were involved in the poisoning of
Munir aboard a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7
last year.

The mandate of the team expired on Thursday and it is
scheduled to meet the President after Friday prayers.

The report, however, did not definitively state that BIN as an
institution was behind the crime, nor did it state how deeply BIN
individuals were believed to be involved, or posit any motivation
for the murder.

Throughout its investigation, BIN officials had blocked the
team's efforts to gain access to documents and to its arms
warehouse.

The team had previously attempted to summons Hendropriyono
three times for questioning over the case, but the retired four-
star Army general refused to respond, describing the team as
arrogant and lacking professionalism, and said it had no legal
right to question him.

"The team's egotism could actually be worse than that of
(former internal security agency) Kopkamtib," he said, pointing
out that the legal basis for the team was only a presidential
decree, while that of Kopkamptib was based on a law.

Kopkamptib, or the Operational Command for the Restoration of
Security and Order, was an instrument of the military during the
New Order regime. The feared agency's officers could summon,
arrest, detain and interrogate people deemed to be acting against
the regime without an arrest warrant.

In its findings, the fact-finding team suggested the President
order the police to launch a full investigation against top BIN
officials who were in charge of the agency when Munir died.

Hendropriyono was the head of BIN at the time of Munir's
murder.

He stressed that he would respond to any police summons.

"I will respond to the police. I would be violating the law if
I didn't respond to the police, or even to (National Commission
of Human Rights) Komnas HAM," he said.

"Do you all know the reason why? Because the police and Komnas
HAM have the authority to do so (summon me). They have the law as
their legal basis, not merely a Presidential Decree. Indeed, I
have voluntarily come to the police to clarify my position on the
case," Hendropriyono said, referring to his visit to the Police
Headquarters on June 11.