Police deny unlawful arrest of former E. Timorese leader
Police deny unlawful arrest of former E. Timorese leader
JAKARTA (JP): The National Police demanded on Monday that the
South Jakarta District Court reject a pretrial lawsuit filed by
the former East Timor militia leader Eurico Guterres, saying that
his arrest had been carried out in line with normal procedures.
Lawyers representing the police said that the plaintiff was
arrested based on the arrest warrant No. Pol. SPP/88/X/2000
Korserse and the detention warrant No. Pol. SP.Han/39/X/2000
dated Oct. 4.
"Eurico's arrest as a suspect was conducted according to the
procedures as stipulated in Article 18 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure," one of the police's lawyers, Sr. Insp. Rudy
Heriyanto, told the hearing on Monday.
Eurico was arrested on Oct. 4 for having ordered fellow ex-
East Timorese militiamen to repossess weapons they had
surrendered earlier during an arms handover ceremony in Atambua
in East Nusa Tenggara which abuts East Timor on Sept. 24.
The incident marred the visit of Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri to Atambua.
Eurico's lawyer, Suhardi Sumomulyono, filed the lawsuit last
week against the police whom he said came to his client's hotel
room in Central Jakarta and merely invited him to police
headquarters to discuss the problems in West Timor.
But once he was there they told him that he was under arrest.
Rudy said on Monday the police had shown an arrest warrant to
the suspect before he was taken to National Police Headquarters
for questioning.
A copy of the warrant was also sent to the suspect's family
through Suhardi and was signed by Suhardi on Oct. 4, he said.
According to Rudy, police arrived at the hotel at 10.30 a.m.
to explain to Eurico the circumstances of the case while showing
him the arrest warrant.
"After the suspect understood, police took him to National
Police Headquarters for questioning," he said.
"Besides fears that he could flee or tamper with evidence,
police also suspected that he might commit another crime."
Eurico's arrest had also been demanded by the Belu police
precinct in East Nusa Tenggara while the Atambua prosecutors'
office has stated that a probe into Eurico's alleged role in the
Sept. 24 incident had been started.
Rudy said the police had questioned several witnesses before
arresting Eurico. Based on their testimony, police concluded that
Eurico had broken Article 160 of the Criminal Code which
threatens those who commit or help in the commission of a crime
with a maximum sentence of six years in jail.
Presiding judge I.D.G. Putra Yadnya adjourned the pretrial
motion until Tuesday to hear Eurico's counter arguments.
Meanwhile, Suhardi told journalists after the hearing that
Eurico through his lawyer would this week make a report to the
police on the crimes committed by members of the Jose Alexandre
Xanana Gusmao-led National Council for East Timor Resistance
(CNRT) against Eurico's family between 1997 and East Timor's vote
for independence last year.
Suhardi said the Indonesian government should have the courage
to demand Gusmao's extradition for the crimes, just as the United
Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) had
sought the extradition of Eurico for his alleged role in the East
Timor debacle last year. (01)