Six indicted for kidnapping tycoon

Six indicted for kidnapping tycoon

JAKARTA (JP): Six men were indicted at South Jakarta District
Court yesterday for kidnapping the major shareholder of Bank
Dagang Nasional Indonesia (BDNI) and extorting Rp 15 billion
(US$1.7 million) from him.

Prosecutor Uri Hasan Basri said the defendants -- Rodiaman
Rachman, Kissinger M. Pandapotan, Supandi, Edy Sudrajat, Slamet
Juardy, Ade Nurjaya, Bang Guan alias Benny, and Kamaludin --
kidnapped Sjamsul Nursalim and his driver, Sutarman, on Sept. 2,
last year.

"The kidnapping was planned at Rodiaman's house in Sawangan,
Bogor, a few days before the abduction," Uri said.

Uri said that Benny, the alleged mastermind of the abduction,
had died in the detention center at Cipinang Penitentiary while
awaiting trial, while Kamaludin was still at large.

Benny told his accomplices that he planned to kidnap a man who
owed him billions of rupiah and promised them millions in return
if they could kidnap Sjamsul and collect the money, the
prosecutor said.

Benny, Kamaludin, Edy and Slamet spied on Sjamsul at his
office on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West Jakarta, while Rodiaman,
Kissinger, Ade, and Supandi waited in front of Sjamsul's house on
Jl. Hang Lekir, South Jakarta.

Uri said that Benny notified Rodiaman by telephone that
Sjamsul had left his office at 7 p.m, asking him and the other
three men to wait for the bank executive.

Rodiaman stopped his van in front of Sjamsul's house and acted
as if his van had stalled. His intention was to block their
target's Mercedes-Benz sedan from entering the house, the
prosecutor told the court.

Supandi and Ade approached Sjamsul's car and knocked on the
window, asking him for help.

One of the kidnappers pointed a gun at Sjamsul and his driver
as soon as they opened the car doors, Uri said, reading from the
indictment.

They handcuffed Sjamsul and Sutarman and blindfolded them
before taking them to a house in the Duta Bandara Permai housing
complex, Tangerang, he said.

The victims were allegedly taken to Rodiaman' house before
they removed the masking tape which had been used to blindfold
the two men.

"Do you remember me? I am the one you sent to jail," Benny was
quoted by Uri as telling Sjamsul.

Uri said Sjamsul's relative, Johan Setiawan, was once involved
in a debt dispute with Benny worth billions of rupiah.

Benny asked Sjamsul for 12.8 million Singapore dollars but
Sjamsul agreed to pay Rp 15 billion or $7.5 million.

The prosecutor said Sjamsul then asked his wife, Itjih, to
transfer the money to an account at Tat Lie Bank in Singapore
which belonged to one of the accomplices.

The victims were released in the Puncak area, West Java, on
Sept. 5 after Benny and Rodiaman managed to withdraw 2 million
Singapore dollars from the bank, he said.

The defendants were arrested on Oct. 7.

They were charged under Criminal Code articles 368 on
extortion and 333 on kidnapping which carry a maximum penalty of
eight years in jail.

Presiding judge Hasan Mahyudin adjourned the trial to next
week to hear witnesses' testimonies. (jun)