Police seize van believed as Tommy's getaway vehicle

Police seize van believed as Tommy's getaway vehicle

JAKARTA (JP): Police seized a Mercedes Benz van on Thursday
believed to have driven Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra from his
home in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Nov. 3, several hours before
authorities declared the youngest son of former president
Soeharto a fugitive.

The purple-metallic van bearing license plate number B 306 T
was parked in the garage at the residence of Tommy's father-in-
law, Bambang Sucahyo Ajie Suryobandoro, in the Police Housing
Complex in Ragunan, South Jakarta.

Witnessed by a bevy of journalists, the police, led by Sr.
Insp. Tagam Sinaga from the Jakarta Police, performed their
administrative duties then drove the van to police headquarters
pending further investigation.

During the confiscation process, a group of 10 people standing
guard behind the tall fence, attempted to obstruct the press from
looking on.

The van was recognized as one of the four cars seen leaving
Tommy's home on Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata No. 4, Central Jakarta, at
the deadline set by prosecutors for him to surrender himself to
begin the 18-month jail term as ruled by the Supreme Court.

According to officer Tagam, the seizure was carried out based
on testimony from two of Tommy's aides that the country's most
wanted criminal was in the car the day he went missing.

"Tommy's personal aides, Syaiful Anwar and Budi, said the four
cars left the house heading to the Hotel Indonesia traffic
circle," he said.

"Two of the cars returned home while this van and a Mercy jeep
with license plate number B 808 HT continued," Sinaga told
journalists after the seizure.

As part of the effort to locate Tommy, the officers plan to
summon Bambang Sucahyo, the father of Tommy's wife, Ardhia
Pramesti Rigita Cahyani, for questioning on Monday over the
disappearance of his son-in-law.

The fugitive's wife, known widely as Tata, along with two
maids working at Tommy's house in Menteng will also be
interrogated on Monday.

Tata was questioned earlier this week together with Tommy's
sisters and she stated that she knew nothing of the hiding place
of her husband.

Police so far have searched 40 residences, mostly belonging to
the family's close associates and Tommy's friends, and seized
Tommy's Menteng house and several of his properties in connection
with his role in the land swindle.

Separately, former coordinating minister for political and
security affairs Gen. (ret.) Wiranto insisted that he would not
allow anyone, including the police, to examine his house in the
search for Tommy.

"There are rules to raid someone's house", Wiranto said on
Thursday.

He also denied rumors that he was hiding Tommy.

"I call the accusations slanderous. All bad things occurring
recently have been attributed to me. It's a 'character
assassination'," Wiranto said.

A reliable source told The Jakarta Post that President
Abdurrahman Wahid recently ordered Attorney General Marzuki
Darusman to examine the houses of former vice president
Sudharmono and Wiranto for their possible roles in hiding Tommy.

"But Pak Wir told Pak Dharmono to ignore it, saying that it's
the President who caused Tommy's disappearance," the source said.

When contacted last night, Marzuki denied the groundless
rumor.

"That's untrue. I have not been ordered to examine them,"
Marzuki said.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf
said that former president Soeharto could be questioned over the
illegal gun possession of his daughter, Siti "Mamiek" Hutami
Endang Adiningsih.

"Mamiek said that the gun was a gift from Pak Harto but she
failed to show a letter which proved it," Saleh told reporters on
Thursday.

Saleh said that if somebody gave a gun to someone, the gun's
previous owner should make a letter of explanation and the new
owner should immediately request a permit from the police.

Saleh said that even if the gun, a .22 pistol, had been really
given by Soeharto to Mamiek, Soeharto should be questioned where
he had gotten the gun from and if he had a license.

"If we want to solve this case right, we have to trace it that
far," Saleh said.

Mamiek was questioned at police headquarters on Thursday as a
suspect for illegal firearms possession. (bby/02/jaw)