'Parties behind Zarima's escape face punishment'
JAKARTA (JP): National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo warned yesterday any parties that plotted Zarima's escape and knew her whereabouts before she was arrested in Houston on Tuesday (Jakarta time) face punishment.
Dibyo said police were gathering evidence about the roles of certain parties, including Zarima's relatives and her alleged syndicate members, in her escape to the U.S.
The 24-year-old woman, who escaped from Jakarta police last August, was arrested in a supermarket in Houston, U.S. on Monday (Houston time).
She was first arrested in Jakarta when police found 29,677 Ecstasy pills, worth at least Rp 1.78 billion (US$757,700), in her house in West Jakarta on Aug. 7.
Reports from Jakarta police detectives in Houston say Zarima's younger sister, Rovina, and her husband, Thomas Edmond Zani, an American who worked at the Indonesian Consulate General's office in Texas, might have played a role in hiding the suspect.
Previously, her father Mirafsur, a businessman whose whereabouts is unknown, was also wanted for his alleged role in planning his daughter's escape from a police escort.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said if Thomas was involved he must be punished.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata said whoever was found to have played a role in Zarima's escape, both here and overseas, faced punishment.
"Hiding a fugitive is against the law," Hamami said on a separate occasion yesterday.
Dibyo Widodo said police were still gathering evidence on other parties' involvement in Zarima's escape.
Police were also waiting for Zarima's confession. She has been in Houston for a month. "Just wait until she arrives here," the three-star general said.
Jakarta police said the woman was accused of violating U.S. immigration rules. "She is now in Immigration custody at Houston airport," a police source said.
Attorney General Singgih and Hamami Nata have expressed their optimism about bringing Zarima home for trial.
However, police said they had received no sign from U.S. authorities about the possibility of bringing Zarima back to Jakarta.
"We're still negotiating with the U.S. authorities through the various channels available, even though there is no extradition treaty between Indonesia and the States," Hamami said.
The police's efforts have received strong support from the foreign affairs ministry.
The government would make every attempt -- despite the lack of an extradition treaty -- "to bring Zarima back to Indonesia for trial", Minister Alatas said.
Dibyo said Zarima's presence in Jakarta "was just a matter of time".
Hamami said Zarima was being investigated in the U.S. for entering with an illegal entry permit.
Shortly after the trial and serving her jail term in the States, Zarima is expected to be brought to Jakarta for trial.
According to preliminary reports sent by the five Jakarta detectives involved in Zarima's arrest, the woman stayed at an apartment belonging to the her sister's family and only moved to her own room at Days Inn & Suites Galleria on Monday.
The reports say Zarima's sister Rovina and her husband gave false information about Zarima's whereabouts to the Jakarta police and FBI.
Rovina was also found to have overstayed her U.S. permit and was handcuffed by the U.S. police. When asked to phone Zarima Thomas used certain words which police believed were codes to tell his sister-in-law that police were tracking her, the reports say.
Shortly after police arrived at Zarima's apartment, they were told she left the building half an hour earlier.
But the four cars carrying Jakarta detectives and FBI and U.S. immigration officers raced around the block.
Several minutes later the officers saw a Yellow Taxi cab driving back and forth at a nearby supermarket as if the driver was looking for a person who had called a taxi.
Based on the tips from the driver, the officers rushed into the supermarket to find the woman who called the taxi.
They found Zarima hiding behind a clothes rack a few minutes later. (bsr/mds)