Prosecutors urged to begin Udin trial

Prosecutors urged to begin Udin trial

SEMARANG (JP): Senior law expert Muladi urged prosecutors in
Yogyakarta Saturday to begin the trial of the man suspected by
police of murdering journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, better
known as Udin.

The Yogyakarta prosecutor's office has rejected the dossiers
of Dwi Sumaji, alias Iwik, filed four times by the police on the
grounds that the documents were "incomplete".

The police believe that Iwik murdered Udin last August because
the Bernas daily journalist was allegedly having an affair with
his wife. Iwik and Udin's relatives have denied the accusation.

Muladi said that the long-awaited trial had been postponed
because the police failed to present sufficient evidence.

"The court should open the trial and decide in favor of Iwik,"
said Muladi, who is the rector of Diponegoro University and a
member of the National Commission on Human Rights.

The investigation into the murder of Udin has been marred by
accusations that the police have been attempting a cover-up to
silence critics, who believe that the journalist was murdered
because of his investigative reporting into the Bantul regency
administration.

One such report alleged that Bantul regent Col. Sri Roso
Sudarmo had offered Rp 1 billion (about US$425,000) to a powerful
Jakarta-based foundation to help ensure his re-election last
year. The regent denies the claim.

Muladi questioned the motives behind the prosecution's
persistent rejection of the dossiers on Iwik. "If the police
don't have sufficient evidence, then the prosecutors can demand
that Iwik be acquitted," he said.

Criminal Code procedures do not limit the number of times
police can file a suspect's dossiers with the prosecution.

"Unless there is significant progress in their investigation,"
said Muladi, "the police should not hesitate to declare the case
closed." (har/pan)