Sister testifies in court she bought safe for Zarina

JAKARTA (JP): Zarina's sister testified Thursday that Zarina, on trial for Ecstasy possession, production and distribution, had ordered her to buy a safe in August last year.

Zarina was arrested by police in August when police raided her house and confiscated a safe containing 29,677 Ecstasy pills and Rp 100,000 (US$41).

Zamila Mir told the West Jakarta District Court she was not aware of the real reason her sister wanted a safe. She just complied, she said.

Zamila said she bought the safe on Aug. 1 for Rp 800,000 and gave it to Zarina. She said the next day she taught Zarina how to open it using two keys.

"There were three sets of keys, and Zarina gave one set to me," Zamila said.

A week later, while police officers were raiding Zarina's house, Zamila got a call from her asking her to bring the keys and show her how to use them, she said.

Zamila said she was surprised by the request but decided her sister had not fully understood how to open the safe.

Zamila said she went to the house but could not find her sister. When she was told Zarina had been taken to Tangerang police precinct she went there with two friends.

Zamila said that at the precinct she gave the keys to Nurfan, who drove her there, and he gave them to the police, because they would not let her meet Zarina.

She also told the court that she believed the safe had not been brought for Zarina but for her friend, Roy, a Eurasian with wavy hair.

Zarina's neighbor later testified he had met a man with these features in front of Zarina's gate.

Ismet Anwar, her neighbor, added that a few days before Zarina was arrested he had heard she had just returned from a trip to the Netherlands.

The hearing was postponed until next Monday. (13)