Ria's case won't be dropped: Prosecutor
Ria's case won't be dropped: Prosecutor
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta's Prosecutor Office has said that it
will not drop the case against starlet Ria Irawan who allegedly
hampered police investigations after the death of a married man
at her house last January.
"We are still working out the dossier and will submit it to
the court as soon as we have finished it," said Mamphe Siahaan, a
spokesperson for the office, yesterday.
Rifardi, 22, the victim, died at Ria's house on Jl. Lebak
Lestari, Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, on Jan. 12.
According to a doctor from the Health Unit of the City Police,
Rifardi's death was caused by cyclobarbital which is a sleeping
tablet derived from barbiturates and is used as a hypnotic and
sedative drug which has a modified structure that influences the
power and rapidity of the drug's effects.
Siahaan said that his office still has to question several
witnesses due to the fact that the police findings were not
strong enough to bring the 24-year-old artist to court.
"We have to question the witnesses so as to complete the
dossier," Siahaan said. He refused to say how many witnesses had
been questioned and when the questioning will be finished.
Ria Irawan is charged with obstructing the police
investigation into Rifardi's death, failure to report his
possession and use of illegal drugs, tampering with and disposing
of material evidence initially found near his body and destroying
material evidence which was believed to have caused the death of
the man.
She faces 10 years imprisonment and a Rp 20 million (US$9,208)
fine if proven guilty by court.
Ria's lawyer, Hotma Sitompul, told The Jakarta Post, on
Tuesday he is convinced that the case will not reach court due to
lack of circumstantial evidence.
"Given the fact that the police and the prosecutor have worked
on the dossier for such a long time and still cannot find enough
evidence against my client, I ardently believe the case will be
dropped," Sitompul said.
"It's for the sake of justice that the prosecutor should free
my client from this situation," Sitompul added.
He said that the public should also be told that not all
investigations will end in court. (03/yns)