Officials questioned on inmate escape

BOGOR (JP): An official at the Prosecutor's Office and the head of Paledang Prison were questioned at Bogor Police Headquarters yesterday following the escape of a detainee Friday.

However, both officials were not formally summoned regarding the escape of Erling Doly Wijaya, alias Mikel, a defendant in the Jagorawi toll road robbery and murder case.

Bambang S. Wahjudi, the general crime section head, came of his own accord, a police source requesting anonymity said.

"We didn't summon him," the source said, but added a formal request for someone to be questioned was not always necessary.

Paledang Prison chief, Moelyawan, went to police headquarters to attend the questioning of Munandar, a prison clerk. The source said Munandar was questioned for an hour.

"I'm still waiting for a summons," Moelyawan said, adding that he was willingly answering questions.

"This has been the first time someone has escaped, since I became prison chief in 1993," Moelyawan, who looked stressed, said.

Police and the Prosecutor's Office first interrogated a Prosecutor's Office employee, Deni J., who went to the prison on Friday to pick up Mikel and the prison driver, R. Priyatna, for a court session.

Another prisoner, Ade Rusmana, was also brought out to attend a court hearing but was brought back.

Questioning revealed Mikel had escaped with the help of Deni, who forged Bambang's signature on a notice to the prison chief asking that Mikel be brought out for a court hearing. Mikel was going to bribe them at least Rp 100,000 each, police said.

Mikel, his wife Margaretta and his sister Lulu disappeared after leaving Deni drunk at a hotel in Ciawi, a police source said.

The escape seemed well-planned and even practiced, as Moelyawan found out that Mikel had also been brought out of the prison and brought back by guards three times last month for court hearings which did not exist.

The Immigration Department said they had received a request to prevent Mikel from leaving the country, but they have not received a photograph of him yet.

Public relations officer of the Immigration Department, Mursanudin A. Ghani, said hopefully Cibinong Prosecutor's Office would immediately send a photograph of Mikel.

"Sometimes a photograph is not immediately attached (in a request to prevent people from leaving a town or the country)," Ghani said.

He acknowledged the possibility of Mikel changing his identity.

National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo expressed suspicion of the judge handling the case, saying the judge, Andi Rachman Asbar, should also be investigated, if necessary.

Mikel is the second missing main source of the murder case. The first was a police suspect in the case, Tjetje Tajuddin, who died in Bogor Police custody.

In the last hearing of the Jagorawi case, in which a treasurer, Zaenuddin Lesmana, was killed on Oct. 11, 1996, Mikel had said the robbery of money, allotted for land appropriation, was part of a plan brought up by the victim himself, who needed a lot of money.

The prosecution said Rp 312 million of Rp 600 million was robbed and defendants Mikel and another man, Hendrik, said Zaenuddin took the rest. But a real gun was used on the treasurer instead of a prepared toy gun, Mikel said. (24/anr)