Officers grilled over Adrian's escape

Officers grilled over Adrian's escape

Abdul Khalik and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Medan

Two police officers in charge of Adrian Waworuntu's corruption
case are currently being interrogated on suspicion that they had
a role in the alleged megacorruptor's escape.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung
Sudjono said on Monday that the investigation of the two officers
allegedly involved in helping Adrian escape was clear evidence
that police were serious in resolving the case.

"They are now being investigated by the internal affairs
division. If there is enough evidence showing that they are
involved in helping Adrian run away then they will be punished
accordingly," Suyitno explained during a press conference.

Adrian, one of the prime suspects in the Rp 1.7 trillion
(US$185 million) Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) embezzlement
scandal, failed to show after being summoned twice and now the
police claim they have no clue where he his.

Police investigators hinted last week that Adrian may have
fled the country using a different name.

Suyitno said he could not reveal any of the results of the
interrogation because the internal affairs division was still in
the process of questioning the two officers.

He added that he also could not reveal the identity of the two
officers because the investigation was the internal business of
the police force.

"We do not know if they violated Law No. 8/1981 on criminal
system. For now, we will wait for the investigation from the
internal affairs people," said Suyitno.

Asked whether National Police's head of the economic crime
division, Brig. Gen. Samuel Ismoko, the most senior official
responsible for the case, was one of the officers being
investigated, Suyitno said that relevant officers within the
division would be questioned in the case, including the head of
the division.

Adrian's escape has made headlines around the country in
recent weeks, partly because there was reportedly a strong
suspicion among the public that the police took bribes in
exchange for abetting his escape.

Meanwhile, former police chief Chairuddin Ismail said in
Medan, North Sumatra, that the case must be resolved as quickly
as possible because the public was now greatly concerned.

"The police must be transparent over the case because the
public is watching with a keen eye on this one," he said after a
seminar in Medan.

During the same seminar, noted criminologist from the
University of Indonesia Erlangga Masdiana said the prolonged
investigation of the case showed that police were not serious
about charging anybody.

The police admitted last Friday that their negligence had
allowed Adrian to flee.

The police are now expected to hand over Adrian to the
prosecutor's office as soon as possible because the prosecutors
said that Adrian's case file was ready for trial.

Police said last Wednesday that if he had gone overseas,
despite a travel ban, they did know where.

However, several local journalists have speculated that Adrian
has been in the U.S. They said that it was possible that Adrian
maintained his real name and bribed officials at the immigration
office to get around the travel ban.

National Police Deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko Ardan
said that the police were now offering Rp 1 billion for
information leading to Adrian's arrest.

"To show that we are serious about resolving the case, we're
offering Rp 1 billion for information that enables us to capture
Adrian," he said.

Suyitno said that the money for the award would be taken from
the police's internal operations budget.