Police chief ordered to sign, submit authorization letter
Police chief ordered to sign, submit authorization letter
JAKARTA (JP): A judge adjourned the pretrial hearing of a
lawsuit filed by alleged drug trafficker Zarina Mirafsur against
the city police headquarters after declaring unlawful a letter
authorizing the city police's lawyers to represent them.
"City police lawyers must submit an authorization letter
signed by the city police chief by tomorrow," said presiding
Judge Maulida on Thursday at the South Jakarta District Court.
Last week, Zarina filed the lawsuit with the court, demanding
it issue a ruling that her arrest was unlawful.
Soon after the hearing was officially opened, Zarina's lawyers
-- Ali Mazi, Pascalis Pieter, Petrus Bala Patyona and Roy Rening
-- questioned the validity of the city police's authorization
letter. The letter was signed by city police detectives chief
Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo.
City police were represented by Capt. Barnabas Iman Setiyono
and First Lt. Ashanul Muqaffi, both from the city police's legal
section.
"The lawsuit was filed against the city police headquarters.
So city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman should have
been the one who signed the authorization letter," said Roy
Rening.
Judge Maulida agreed with Zarina's lawyers and ordered the
city police's lawyers to submit an authorization letter signed by
the city police chief.
Zarina, together with nine other suspects, were arrested in an
early morning police raid at five apartments in a hotel in West
Jakarta last Thursday.
The police confiscated 835 ecstasy pills, 51.2 grams of shabu-
shabu (crystal methamphetamine), 28 pornographic movies, six
bongs and two small scales.
Zarina was sent back to Tangerang Women's Prison on Wednesday
evening after Minister of Law and Legislation Yusril Ihza
Mahendra revoked her conditional release status due to her
alleged involvement in the drug case. Zarina was granted the
conditional release status last year for good behavior.
On Wednesday evening, reporters remained outside the city
police detention, waiting for Zarina to leave her cell and get
into the prison truck, which was parked outside the door.
At about 9 p.m., Zarina's sister Zamila arrived with husband
Danny, delivering fresh clothes for her. She was shocked to see
the prison truck.
"Pak Ali (Zarina's lawyer) did not tell me this. I can't
believe the police is going through with this. They can't send my
sister back there (Tangerang prison)," Zamila said, while she
clutched two plastic bags of clothes.
Screaming
Narcotics unit chief Maj. Gusti Ketut Gunawa and Zarina's
questioning officer, Capt. Illyas Saad, also of the narcotics
unit, entered the detention area to speak with Zarina at about 9
p.m.
Amid loud crying and screaming from inside, Illyas emerged two
hours later and told reporters not to stand too close to the
suspect since she refused to have her picture taken.
In Tangerang, scores of reporters were disappointed when they
were refused by prison guards to meet Zarina, who returned to
prison to continue her remaining two years in jail.
The two years are part of a four-year prison term she started
serving in 1996 for storing nearly 30,000 ecstasy pills, while
waiting for the completion of her new drug case.
Zarina's lawyer Ali Mazi said on Thursday that she was going
to return before the South Jakarta District Court on Friday to
attend the pretrial hearing of the lawsuit against the Jakarta
Police.
Zarina had stated that police coerced her into signing a
dossier, in which she was named a suspect in the drug case.
Ali added that according to Article 21 and 183 of the Criminal
Code, a person cannot be held without possessing strong evidence
to incriminate him or her.
"What the police did on Wednesday night -- dragging her into
the prison truck and driving her off to prison -- was a violation
of human rights," Ali said.
Zarina's mother Mardiah was very disappointed that she was not
allowed to meet her daughter.
"I'm disappointed with the police. We were not informed that
they would take her there," Mardiah said. (asa/ylt/41)