Questioning of Dolog boss rescheduled
JAKARTA (JP): The head of the city's logistics agency (Dolog Jaya), Ahmad Zawawi, vomited during two and a half hours of police questioning on Monday morning over his alleged role in illegal rice transactions and rice exports.
The head of the Jakarta Police's economic crimes unit, Lt. Col. Saut Usman Nasution, said the interrogators had to abruptly halt the questioning of Zawawi, already named as a main suspect in the two cases, after he felt sick and vomited in the middle of the questioning session.
"He just suddenly vomited and said that he was not in a good condition," Usman told reporters after the session.
After the interruption, the 56-year-old retired colonel left the interrogation room at 10:55 a.m. looking pale.
Knowing that his way would be blocked by a media scrum at the door of the city's detective directorate, Zawawi covered his face with a magazine to avoid the flashes of press photographers and television cameramen.
He refused to reply to any of the reporters' questions and got straight into his green metallic Opel Blazer chauffeured by his daughter.
According to officer Usman, Zawawi is scheduled to return for further questioning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
"It's apparent that he's sick today so on his request we decided to adjourn the questioning until tomorrow," Usman said.
He is being questioned over his alleged major role in illegally providing rice delivery orders to unlisted distributors and the planned illicit export of 1,900 metric tons of rice to Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia.
During Monday's session, Zawawi informed the detectives that he had formally asked lawyers from the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) to accompany him during the police interrogation.
So far, the officer said, the suspect had yet to be informed about whether or not Bulog was willing to provide its lawyers to help Zawawi, whose status at Dolog Jaya remained unclear.
Last week, the suspect was relieved of his post by Governor Sutiyoso, who made the decision after consulting with Minister of Industry and Trade/Bulog Chairman Rahardi Ramelan to help speed up the police investigation into the two cases.
Officer Usman said the police still had no plans to detain Zawawi as they strongly believed that the suspect would not flee the country and dispose of the available evidence.
"So far we don't need to jail him because he has pledged not to go abroad without the police's knowledge and we also believe that he no longer has access at all to the Dolog office," he said.
Rahardi contended on Monday that he would take any necessary measures if the police decided to detain Zawawi.
"If he is jailed, I'll do what is supposed to be done," he said, without further elaboration.
Zawawi was first summoned last week as a witness over the cases following the arrest of 15 distributors at Zawawi's office in North Jakarta the previous week for possessing illegal rice delivery orders.
Besides Zawawi, police have so far questioned four other Dolog Jaya officials; deputy head Saean Ahmad and senior staff members Edi H., Mulia S. and Edi S., from the distribution unit. (emf/das)