Police clamp down on Adiguna

Police clamp down on Adiguna

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Police vowed on Monday to continue gathering evidence
to complete the investigation into the murder of Yohannes
Berchmans Haerudy Natong, or Rudy, involving Adiguna Sutowo, the
son of the late Ibnu Sutowo, a former president director of state
oil and gas company Pertamina.

Responding to a rumor that someone had tried to persuade the
police to stop the investigation, city police chief Insp. Gen.
Firman Gani said that they were determined to submit the case
file to the prosecutor's office within the next two months with
Adiguna as the sole suspect.

"We will finish the case file in two months at the latest. We
are now gathering more evidence and are still questioning
witnesses," said Firman on the sidelines of a preparatory meeting
for the ASEAN Emergency Conference in Jakarta.

An officer at the National Police Headquarters said early on
Monday that Adiguna's elder brother Ponco Sutowo, one of the
owners of the Hilton Hotel in Central Jakarta, called Firman on
Sunday night to talk about Adiguna's case.

"No, we have not received any threats, coercion or phone calls
from anybody regarding the shooting case. In fact, the suspect is
now under detention at city headquarters," said Firman.

Ponco Sutowo and Adiguna's lawyer Amir Karyatin were not
available for comment on Monday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had told the police to be
transparent in handling the case, and not to tolerate such
crimes.

Firman explained that his officers had questioned 12
witnesses, several of whom testified that Adiguna had pulled the
trigger and killed Rudy.

The incident took place at 3:30 a.m. after a New Year's Eve
celebration inside the Hilton Hotel's Fluid Club on Saturday.
Witnesses said Adiguna quarreled with Rudy, who was a trainee
waiter, when Rudy told Adiguna's female companion that her credit
card had been rejected and asked for another one.

The suspect was reportedly furious with the victim and took
out a gun and shot Rudy, who died instantly after a bullet
entered his right temple and exited through the left side of his
neck.

The case was initially handled by the Central Jakarta Police,
but the Jakarta Police took it over due to its sensitive nature.

Firman said his officers were now also interrogating Adiguna's
female friend as a witness in the case.

"We found 19 bullets and two bloodstained towels in Adiguna's
hotel room. We are now matching the projectile that killed Rudy
with the bullets as well as the blood from the towel with Rudy's
blood," he said.

Firman said that the bullets were 20 millimeter and probably
come from a revolver.

"We still can't determine whether the gun is legal or not as
we haven't found it and the suspect still denies that he fired
any shots. However, it makes no difference that he denies it as
it doesn't affect the process," he said.

Amir Karyatin reportedly said his client refused to sign the
case file, saying that he did not kill the waiter.

Amir claimed that Adiguna had instead helped Rudy, taking the
injured waiter to the hotel clinic.