Police must solve Udin murder case, expert says

JAKARTA (JP): Despite the decision of Dwi Sumaji, alias Iwik, not to sue police, the investigation into the unsolved murder of journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, alias Udin, must continue, a legal expert said here yesterday.

University of Indonesia Professor Loebby Loqman said police must prove their professionalism by finding Udin's real murderer.

"The police still have to finish their work," Loebby told The Jakarta Post when asked to comment on Iwik's decision not to sue the police after being recently acquitted of the murder charges.

Iwik had been wrongly indicted for the murder of the Bernas daily journalist who was slain in his house in Bantul regency, south of Yogyakarta, in August 1996.

Many believed Udin was murdered because of his critical news reports concerning alleged corruption in the regency's administration.

Police hurriedly completed an investigation and charged Iwik for the murder. But the case against Iwik did not hold up in court and it was later discovered that police had tampered with evidence.

Prosecutors in the end asked the judges to drop the case and allow Iwik to be released.

Since his release on Nov. 27, Iwik had contemplated a lawsuit against police for falsely charging him with the crime.

Loebby yesterday brushed away concerns that Iwik's decision not to go ahead with the suit would nullify efforts to establish a tough rule of law in which police would be held accountable for wrongful arrests.

"Iwik's decision is just normal, it's his right, and I think it will not have such a far-reaching effect," he said. "It only leaves a lesson for law enforcers to be more professional."

"Besides, Iwik might have been tired of being in the spotlight," Loebby added.

Iwik announced Friday that he would not press ahead with the lawsuit.

The announcement came amid another controversy as Iwik's lawyers had apparently leaked Iwik's written statement before it was announced. The leaked statement somehow made its way to the National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo.

On Saturday, Iwik's lawyers said all of Iwik's legal affairs dealing with the case had been concluded and he no longer needed to retain their services.

Eko Widianto, one of Iwik's lawyers, had admitted to faxing the statement to a person he would not identify.

He said the statement was delivered as a mere notification without any intent of publication or further transmission to higher authorities.

Meanwhile, lawyers of Udin's family said Friday that Iwik's decision would not weaken their efforts to fight for their rights which had been violated by police during the investigation.

"Udin's family wants Udin's name cleared from the allegations of an extramarital love affair," said Budi Hartono of the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute.

In their concocted scenario, police claimed Iwik's motive for murdering Udin was that the journalist was having an affair with his wife, Marsiyem.

"We respect Iwik's decision as long as it was not made under any duress," Budi said. "But, Udin's family will keep fighting until the real murderer is found."

Budi said the police should step up their efforts to find the real culprit since they had just been relieved from the "burden of being sued". (44/aan)