Photos enough to bring Oki to court: Police
Photos enough to bring Oki to court: Police
JAKARTA (JP): Police said yesterday they have several photos
which are enough evidence to bring Hernoko Dewantono, alias Oki,
to court as the main suspect in the Los Angeles triple murders.
"We already have, for example, the photo of a hammer (used by
the suspect to kill one of the victims)," head of the National
Police Crime Investigation Directorate Brig. Gen. Rusdiardjo told
reporters yesterday.
"We'll take more pictures if the Los Angeles police refuse to
lend us the material evidence they have on hand," he added.
The photos will be approved and sealed at the Indonesian
consulate general in Los Angeles before being used as material
evidence for the trial here, the one-star general said.
As earlier reported, a number of senior Jakarta police
detectives flew to Los Angeles to collect available material
evidence and question a number of witnesses in a bid to compare
testimonies made by Oki during questioning in Jakarta.
Oki is believed to be the only player in the killing of Gina
Sutan Aswar, an Indonesian woman, Oki's brother Tri Harto
Darmawan, known as Eri, and Suresh Michandani of Indian origin in
Los Angeles.
Oki was arrested in Jakarta on Jan. 7 on the allegation of
passport forgery and has since been questioned for his alleged
role in the killings.
Since questioning Oki, police have given no hints as to the
motive behind the killing, but reliable sources believe the
murders were mainly due to business reasons as Gina and
Michandani were Oki's business partners.
During their visit to Los Angeles, the team of city police are
trying to convince the United States to allow the case to be
tried in the Indonesian courts.
As of yesterday, there has been no consensus despite Jakarta
insisting Oki be tried here.
According to Rusdiardjo, the case could also be tried in Los
Angeles "but at the Indonesian consulate general's office and
based on Indonesian law.
Thus, he said, "the judges and prosecutors should also be
Indonesian".
But he, as well as many other Indonesian officers, highly hope
the case will be tried in Jakarta as allowed by existing
Indonesian law.
Rusdiardjo guaranteed that Oki, like any other criminal, will
be punished appropriately.
"He deserves apt punishment," he said. (bsr)