Police reopen Beng Seng murder case

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta police officials said yesterday they are reinvestigating the murder of entertainment businessman Nyo Beng Seng, who was stabbed in North Jakarta in April last year.

"The new probe is being conducted to determine the mastermind of the murder," Chief of the City Police Force Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo told reporters.

Dibyo added that for the purpose of investigation police have questioned Nyo Beng Seng's lawyer Leo Kartono and the victim's second wife Tuti Sulastri.

"The public has questioned why the other men have been punished in the murder case but the mastermind remains at large. The police also want to know," Dibyo added.

The North Jakarta District Court sentenced two men last month to 20 years and 15 years imprisonment after convicting them of murdering Nyo Beng Seng.

Agiono Safran, 44, and Sudartono, alias Atok, 46, were found guilty of stabbing Nyo Beng Seng, alias Darmansyah Sujadi, to death.

So far, the court has been unable to identify beyond a doubt the person who masterminded the killing of the businessman.

According to the prosecutor at the trial of Agiono and Sudartono, the murder was carried out on the instructions of Beng Seng's business competitor Hong Lie, following an argument between the two men in which Beng Seng allegedly asked Hong Lie to pay a debt of US$3.2 million

Police strongly believe that it was Hong Lie who masterminded the killing on the grounds that he would be able to take over Beng Seng's position as one of the most powerful gambling organizers in the city.

Dibyo Widodo said that the city police put Hong Lie's name on their most wanted list and had sent a copy to Interpol's National Central Bureau at National Police Headquarters, to ask for assistance in arresting him. Hong Lie is believed to be in Singapore.

The murdered man was the owner of a leading music recording company, PT Irama Tara, as well as of several massage parlors and night clubs in Jakarta. He was also a contact person for Indonesians who wanted to gamble at exclusive gambling venues in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia.

National Police Chief Gen. Banurusman Astrosemitro said last July that the police could only ask Interpol to help arrest entertainment businessman Hong Lie on the basis of the request made by the prosecutors.

In a related event, Hong Lie told Indonesian reporters who met him in Singapore that the killing of Beng Seng was masterminded by A Guam, alias Ali Leo Kartono, who owed a huge sum of money to Beng Seng. (01)