Police release Yorrys as lawyer posts bail
JAKARTA (JP): City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto announced yesterday that Yorrys Raweyai of the Pemuda Pancasila youth organization has been released after his bail was paid by his lawyer.
"It was done according to the law," Hindarto told The Jakarta Post after attending an inter-departmental meeting on traffic law at the National Police Headquarters yesterday.
According to the two-star general, lawyer Hotma Sitompul paid his client's bail.
By law, Hotma the sum will be forfeited if Yorrys fails to show up at the police station or court three months after being summoned.
Yorrys is also suspected of plotting the murder of a servant who worked for one of the youth organization's executives, in September last year.
In the meantime Yorrys is being tried at the West Jakarta district court on charges of gambling.
If found guilty, the day-to-day chairman of the powerful youth organization will face a maximum imprisonment of seven years for his role in torturing the 23-year-old servant to death.
Many people have questioned the police's decision to allow Yorrys' release on bail after having interrogated him intensively a number of times. Because Yorrys was considered an "untouchable" they believe that there must be a powerful and influential figure behind the release.
Other crimes
Earlier, Hindarto revealed that his personnel were still collecting all available information and evidence in an effort to learn of Yorrys' alleged role in other crimes, including the smuggling of expensive alcoholic beverages.
He also told reporters recently that a number of city detectives went to Singapore to investigate Yorrys' alleged role in last year's murder of the notorious gambling operator Nyo Beng Seng in Pluit.
But a few days after making the statement Hindarto said that the detectives were only in Singapore to seek evidence in connection with the distribution of hundreds of fake Diners Club credit cards here.
When asked by reporters during a break at the West Jakarta court on Monday, Yorrys refused to give any explanation about his cases, saying that his lawyer is handling them all. (bsr)