Prison escapee faces 20 years' imprisonment

BOGOR (JP): A prosecutor demanded the Bogor District Court yesterday to sentence Erling Doli Wijaya alias Mikel, who escaped from his detention cell almost four weeks ago, to 20 years in prison for his involvement in a robbery and murder on the Jagorawi toll road on Oct. 11 last year.

Prosecutor Andi Rachman Asbar told the court that Mikel was guilty of violating Chapter 365, Article 4, of the Criminal Code concerning robbery.

"The defendant should be punished for the crime he committed," Andi said.

Before the court session began, Mikel's lawyers -- Almuzfar, Mansjur Abubakar and Castrio Pandji -- protested the court for allowing the prosecutor to read the indictment despite the absence of the defendant.

"The indictment violates Chapter 196, Article 1, of Criminal Code Procedures," Almuzfar said.

But judge Usman Wahab decided the indictment could be continued because Mikel previously attended other trial sessions.

"The Criminal Code does not have regulations that pertain to the defendant, who attended previous sessions but later escaped," Usman said.

He quoted former Supreme Court chief Oemar Senoadji, who once said that such a court session could continue.

The lawyers did not agree with the judge's decision, telling the court they resigned as Mikel's lawyers.

On June 27, Mikel escaped from an escort of two officers of the Bogor Prosecutor's Office.

Meanwhile, East Java Police spokesman Lt. Col. Sofwat Hadi said yesterday that police were still looking for Mikel.

Sofwat said two police officers failed to arrest Mikel on Jl. Ciliwung, in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday.

Two police officers, including a police officer from Bogor, Tatang Ruswandi, who was assigned to capture Mikel, saw the suspect driving a Suzuki jeep on the street at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday, a police source said.

Mikel, his wife Elizabeth and a sister-in-law, Lulu, tried to hire a doctor in the area, the officer said.

He said Mikel, who apparently knew he was being watched, tried to escape by breaking the right window of his car and threatening to shoot Tatang after police officers fired a warning shot.

The suspect speeded up his car and nearly hit Tatang, who tried to stop the car, he said.

Tatang managed to jump aside to avoid the car but fired his pistol accidentally, hitting his own left leg, the police source said.

Tatang was being treated at RKZ Hospital on Jl. Diponegoro, Surabaya. (24/nur/jun)