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.