Senior officer convicted in Udin murder case

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

A senior police officer was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Thursday for destroying evidence in the murder case of journalist Muhammad Syarifudin, but justice still has not been done as the main perpetrators in the case have still not been identified.

During a hearing at a Yogyakarta military court, the panel of judges said that Asst. First. Insp. Edy Wuryanto, in his capacity as an investigator in the murder case, was guilty of perverting the course of justice by destroying a note pad that had been considered important evidence.

The sentence was only two months longer than recommended earlier by prosecutors in the case.

Responding to the sentence, the senior police officer said that he would appeal. He was still adamant that he was not guilty. "I don't understand which note pad the prosecutors are referring to. I never lost any evidence," said Edy.

Muhammad Syarifudin alias Udin, a journalist with Bernas daily newspaper, was murdered in 1996.

The case drew public attention as there were alleged irregularities in the investigation. The public and the media had pointed the finger at the then Bantul Regent SRS as the main perpetrator behind the case, but he was never prosecuted due to a lack of evidence. SRS had come under suspicion as Udin had often written articles that criticized the regent's policies.

The only suspect brought to court was defendant Edy, who is certainly not the mastermind behind the case.