Police fail to question Tommy in jail

Police fail to question Tommy in jail

Leo Wahyudi S and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The warden of Cipinang Penitentiary, Ngusman, refused on
Thursday to allow police investigators to question Hutomo "Tommy"
Mandala Putra because they did not have a court order.

The investigators had hoped to question Tommy about recent
statements he made indicating that security forces knew of his
whereabouts, and even aided him, during the year he spent as a
fugitive.

"The questioning was canceled because the officers failed to
produce a permit from the Central Jakarta District Court,"
Ngusman said.

He said an order from the Central Jakarta District Court was
necessary because Tommy was being tried at the court.

Five police officers, led by Sr. Comr. Aris Munandar, arrived
at the penitentiary at about 11 a.m. and left approximately 90
minutes later after Ngusman denied them access to Tommy.

Aris said the police had filed a request with the court
seeking approval to question Tommy.

"We sent a letter this morning but since the chief of the
court was unavailable we did not receive a response," the officer
said.

Asked if his team had met with Tommy in the penitentiary, Aris
snapped: "It was impossible to meet Tommy because the warden
would not issue a pass."

But judge Amiruddin Zakaria, who is presiding over Tommy's
trial, said the police had not filed a request with the court to
question Tommy.

"I have read in the newspapers that the police secured the
court's permission to question Tommy. What permission? Until now,
the request has not reached us," he said.

The judge said that as law enforcers, the police must have
known they had to get a court order to question a defendant who
is on trial.

The police are seeking to question Tommy because of statements
he made in court last week. Tommy told the court he was able to
spend most of his time as a fugitive at his home in Menteng,
Central Jakarta, because of the "coordination with security
forces".

He did not specify whether he meant the police, the military
or private security guards.

Tommy is currently being tried for the murder of Supreme Court
justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, as well as for possession of
firearms and ammunition, and flight from justice.