Police grill Tata about why Tommy's bunker was sealed

Police grill Tata about why Tommy's bunker was sealed

JAKARTA (JP): City police detectives grilled suspect Ardhia
Pramesti "Tata" Regita Cahyani, the wife of fugitive Hutomo
"Tommy" Mandala Putra, over why the underground bunker found
below her Central Jakarta residence had been sealed.

While Tata's lawyer, Juan Felix Tampubolon, briefed reporters
on Tata's police questioning, Tata herself, surrounded by scores
of bodyguards, sneaked out of the city police headquarters after
four hours of questioning.

"When she was pregnant, she had told her husband that there
was a huge hole in the baby's room and that it could be dangerous
for the baby. Tata did not explain to police Tommy's response,"
Juan told reporters.

"When she returned from hospital with the baby, the bunker was
already sealed."

The questioning, Juan said, began at about 9:30 a.m. and was
focused on whether Tata had purportedly lied about the bunker's
existence to stop police from breaking up the floor of her
husband's residence on Jl. Cendana in the plush Menteng area.

City police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Harry Montolalu said
on Friday that there was a possibility that police would call
Tata, for further questioning.

"She may have answered all (29) questions asked by police
today (Friday). But, we might call her again," Harry said.

Harry had earlier said that both Juan and Tata were questioned
as suspects, under Article 216 of the criminal code for
obstructing the police from performing their duties, an offense
which carries a maximum jail term of four months and two weeks.

Juan was questioned on Monday, but had refused to answer all
30 questions asked by police, on his alleged role in obstructing
police from locating the underground bunker.

Tommy's lawyer, Elza Syarief, who was also questioned on
Monday over Juan's issue with the police, said that she saw why
police felt the need to question Juan.

"He's Tata's lawyer, and not Tommy's. Police probably felt
that he had no legal right to question police on the warrant,
when he is not even Tommy's lawyer," Elza told reporters.

Separately, the central Jakarta branch of the Indonesian
Lawyers Association (Ikadin) announced its plan to seek Juan
Felix's clarification over the matter.

The branch's chairman, John Pieter Nazar, said the association
expected Juan to show up next Thursday, where his clarification
will be assessed, to decide on whether the lawyer had violated
the association's code of ethics.

"Juan was named a suspect, in connection with his profession
as a lawyer. We have to hear from Juan first and take the report
to Ikadin, before deciding whether to bring him to stand in a
code of ethics tribunal," Nazar told a media conference on
Friday.

He said that if Juan was found guilty of abusing his
profession, then Ikadin would be entitled to ask the Ministry of
Justice and Human Rights to sever his license.

"But if he was found committing a crime then it's the police
matter," Nazar said.

In an unrelated development, Harry said suspect Elize Maria
Tuwahatu alias Baby, 33, who was arrested for possessing three
bombs at the Mini Indonesia recreation park last Friday and had
told police that Tommy had given her the bombs, is currently not
in good physical condition.

"She has some heart problems. Our doctors are looking into
her. Don't worry. She'll be fine soon," Harry told reporters.

Harry told reporters earlier that initial physical and mental
examinations by city police doctors had shown that Elize,
currently held at city police, was in perfect mental and physical
health and had nothing to worry about.

Harry even denied statements made by Elize's lawyer M. Bugis,
that Elize had retracted her statement about Tommy's involvement
in the case and that Tommy had never given Elize the bombs.

"She never retracted her statements," Harry said. (ylt/bby)