Officials believe they can bring Zarima home
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Singgih and City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata expressed yesterday their optimism about bringing Ecstasy-case fugitive Zarima home from Houston for trial even though Indonesia and the U.S. have no extradition treaty.
Singgih said diplomatic access would enable Indonesian police to bring the 24-year-old fugitive to Jakarta for prosecution.
The woman is accused of possessing 29,677 Ecstasy pills. She escaped during a police escort from the Tangerang police precinct to Jakarta Police headquarters last August.
Capt. Ade Sutiana, the head of the Tangerang police detectives who escorted her, was dismissed from his post the next day. ye is now temporarily employed in an administrative capacity at the Jakarta Police headquarters.
Zarima was arrested on Tuesday (Jakarta time) by Jakarta police detectives, in cooperation with a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team, in a supermarket in Houston, U.S.
Speaking before the limited cabinet ministers meeting at presidential office Bina Graha, Singgih said Zarima's case was different from that of M. Said, a Garuda pilot who was arrested by Dutch police at the Schipol airport on Sept. 29 for illegally carrying 8,000 Ecstasy pills.
Indonesian police failed to have M. Said extradited from Holland. Reports said he would be tried in Holland soon.
"M. Said allegedly committed the crime in the Netherlands while Zarima committed the crime in Indonesia," he said.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung said he would instruct the police force to bring the woman back to Indonesia as soon as all necessary procedures were completed in the U.S.
Hamami Nata said at the Soekarno-Hatta airport upon his arrival from an official European visit and a religious visit to Mecca, that police would be able to take Zarima, alias Zarina, home whatever the hurdles were.
"I can assure you that we're able to bring the woman back home soon, hopefully this week," Hamami said.
The public should not be worried about the deportation of Zarima even though she might have already hired a lawyer to defend her from being tried in Indonesia.
Hamami said police had worked quite a long time tracing the fugitive and prepared everything, including the legal aspects for the arrest.
No problem
Senior advisor to the National Police Force, Gen. (ret) Awaloedin Djamin, who accompanied Hamami on his visit, guaranteed the Jakarta police detectives would face no significant problems in their efforts to bring Zarima back to Indonesia.
"I guarantee that even though we have no extradition treaty with the U.S.", Awaloedin, a former national police chief said.
"For many years, we've been deporting a large number of foreigners wanted by their countries for their alleged role in crimes, why should we have to face problems if we need to get a criminal we want?" Awaloedin said.
Hamami said Zarima had not changed her appearance.
"She had been there about a month," he said.
Hamami expressed his gratitude to the U.S. authorities, especially the FBI officers, for their support.
Hamami said Zarima had used a fake passport to leave Indonesia. "But I still have no idea about where she got the passport from," he said.
A noted lawyer, who requested anonymity, said on Tuesday that it would not be easy to bring the woman home for trial.
The lawyer said that things would become more complicated if Zarima hired a lawyer in the U.S.
Indonesia has no law which explicitly bans the mood-altering stimulant Ecstasy but possessing, smuggling and trafficking the pills could be considered a breach of Health Law No. 23/1992. The law says those found guilty of possessing, smuggling and trafficking drugs illegally face a maximum 15 years jail term and a fine of up to Rp 300 million (US$128,200).
Attorney General Singgih said Zarima must be punished harshly. "She will not only be prosecuted for possessing Ecstasy pills, but also for escaping police escort. Police have spent much money to hunt her," Singgih said. (sur/bsr)