Regent may be sued for accident

Regent may be sued for accident

BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: Dozens of Way Kanan residents are planning to file a lawsuit against Regent Tamanuri for a hit-and- run accident.

The residents allege that the regent struck with his car two men riding on a motorcycle -- 24-year-old Suparlan and 22-year- old Mukimin -- during a street rally to protest the poor service of state-owned electricity company PT PLN.

Saparudin, who is coordinating the suit, said the hit-and-run accident took place in the Sudirman Blambangan Umpu area, some 700 meters from the regent's office, last Monday at about 4:45 p.m.

Immediately after the accident, Tamanuri, who was driving a Nissan Terano jeep, got into a passing car carrying the head of the local prosecutor's office.

Before leaving the scene, the chief prosecutor advised the regent to remove the license plate from his jeep, prompting the protesters to damage the vehicle.

"All this (the crash) was done deliberately, even carefully planned. Why was the prosecutor's car at the scene?" said Saparudin, speaking to journalists on Thursday in Bandarlampung.

There was no report on the condition of the two victims, who were rushed to a nearby hospital after the accident.--JP