Police defendant fails to appear in court again

Police defendant fails to appear in court again

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Second Adj. Insp. Edy Wuryanto, who is
accused of destroying evidence, failed to appear for the second
time at his trial at the Yogyakarta Military Tribunal on
Thursday.

"I've just received a fax from the National Police
Headquarters which says that Edy had five days off from Dec. 1 to
Dec. 5 due to illness. But I don't know why he failed to show up
in court today," military prosecutor Lt. Col. Roesdi HR told the
hearing.

Roesdi also said he had sent a summons to Edy on Nov. 21, and
the National Police Headquarters had confirmed that the defendant
had received it. "Edy did not appear in court, however."

Roesdi said he had made several telephone calls to the
National Police Headquarters Investigation Corps -- where Edy is
stationed -- since 9 a.m., seeking an explanation to Edy's
absence. "But all I got was unsatisfactory answers until the
session began at about 11.00 a.m..

"I could not reach the top officer there. Only the staff and
civilian employees talked to me, but they gave me unclear
information," Roesdi said.

Responding to the prosecutor, presiding judge Lt. Col. Anas
Chaniago said every effort must be made to bring the defendant
before the tribunal.

"Otherwise, we will have to hand the case over to the Jakarta
Military Tribunal, based on Law No. 31/1997," said Anas.

Prosecutor Roesdi then told the court that he would send a
special report to the Military General Prosecutor's Office in
Jakarta about Edy's absences. A copy of the report will be sent
to the National Police chief.

"I will have to do that before sending the third summons to
the defendant. In this way, we hope that we will be able to bring
Edy here," said Roesdi.

Edy is accused of destroying evidence in the murder case of
Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, alias Udin. Edy was then chief of
investigation at Bantul District Police in 1996.

The prosecutor said Edy had violated Article 417 of the
Criminal Code on power abuse, Article 372 on stealing and Article
103 of the Military Criminal Code on excessive authority.

If convicted, the defendant may face a five-year jail term.

Udin was a reporter for the Bernas daily, based in Yogyakarta.
Udin's family, with the help of a team of lawyers from the
Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), has tried since Sept. 27,
1996, to bring the case before the local military tribunal.

However, Yogyakarta Police responded in July 2000, when it
ordered Edy to appear before court. To the surprise of many, Edy
was moved to the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta in
August. This has made it difficult for the prosecutor's office to
continue legal procedures.

Edy's first trial was scheduled on Sept. 19, 2000. However, he
failed to appear. The trial was canceled and rescheduled for
Sept. 21, 2000. Again, Edy failed to appear in court, and the
first hearing continued without the defendant present. (swa)