Oki's father names lawyers for his son
Oki's father names lawyers for his son
JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers from Ruhut Sitompul, Tommy Sihotang &
Associates will defend Harnoko Dewanto, alias Oki, who is alleged
to have committed a triple murder in Los Angeles and falsified
passports.
"We just reached the final agreement with Oki's father this
afternoon," Tommy told The Jakarta Post here yesterday.
He said that Herdarno Hendarmin, a former state bank employee,
has asked the law firm to provide lawyers, as well as public
relations assistance, for his son Oki, 30.
"For the time being, we'll be his lawyers only for his alleged
role in the passport forgery because we have not received a
formal notice about their holding and questioning Oki in
connection with the killings," Tommy said.
The lawyers have yet to meet with their client, who is still
under investigation at the City Police Force detention center.
"We'll probably meet Oki tomorrow," he said yesterday.
Tommy refused to reveal the fee to be paid by Oki's parent for
his defense.
Oki is the eldest of three children of divorced couple
Hendarno Hendarmin and Sekartini Ramadidjaya, also a bank
employee.
Oki, who has been in police custody since Jan. 7 on charges of
passport forgery, is now undergoing questioning for his alleged
role in the killing of two Indonesians and an Indian businessman
in Los Angeles in 1991 and1992.
Their decayed bodies were found in a storage locker there in
August last year and identified four months later.
The Indonesian citizens were identified as Gina Sutan Aswar,
28, a woman known to be a friend of the suspect, and Eri Tri
Harto Darmawan, 26, Oki's brother.
Confession
When asked to comment about a local media report that Oki had
admitted playing a role in the murder of Gina and the Indian
businessman, Suresh Michandani, 45, Tommy refused to comment.
"So far, his family has not yet received a single formal
notice from the police saying that Oki has been questioned for
the murder," he said. "Let's see later."
Yesterday,Suara Pembaruan quoted an unidentified city police
detective as saying that Oki had confessed to killing Michandani
and Gina, but denied charges that he had also killed his brother,
Eri.
The evening daily reported that Oki killed Michandani in 1991
and Gina in 1992 in order to come into possession of large
amounts of cash belonging to the victims.
The Indian was reported missing in early 1992, and Gina in
November 1992.
In a related development, Gatra weekly reported yesterday that
Michandani was allegedly beaten and shot by Eri in a car upon
orders from Oki some time in 1991.
The weekly also quoted an unidentified source in Los Angeles
as saying that Gina was beaten to death with a bat by the two
brothers in Oki's apartment on the day after her arrival from
Paris in November, 1992.
Without giving a precise date, Gatra reported that Eri was
beaten to death by Oki with the same bat.
When asked for confirmation of the reports yesterday morning,
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto said that he would
release the complete story of the killing and Oki's alleged role
tomorrow.
"We are still keeping in touch with the American police and we
are going to send four personnel to the United States soon to
collect valuable information and the material evidence
available," he said.
The four detectives are expected to be Lt. Col. Gories Mere,
head of the City Major Crime Unit; Lt. Col. Bambang Purnomosidi,
from the National Central Bureau-Interpol, and Capt. Wahyu and
First Lieutenant Petrus Gosse of the City Crime Investigation
Directorate. (bsr)