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.