Suspect's role in Munir murder still mystery

Suspect's role in Munir murder still mystery

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Prosecutors will have to work harder to prove that key suspect
Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was among the murderers of human
rights advocator Munir Said Thalib.

Throughout the trial which has gone on for the past two
months, prosecutors were unable to present strong material
evidence and witnesses to testify against the defendant.

Pollycarpus, a Garuda Indonesia pilot, is accused by
prosecutors of pouring a certain amount of arsenic into a cup of
orange juice served as a welcome drink to Munir during a flight
from Jakarta to the Netherlands via Singapore on Sept. 6, 2004.

A few hours later, Munir was found dead only moments before
the Boeing-747 aircraft landed at the Schipol International
Airport in the Hague. A Dutch autopsy revealed a huge amount of
arsenic in his body.

Two Garuda crew members, who worked in business class during
the first leg of the Jakarta-Singapore flight, told the Central
Jakarta District Court here on Tuesday that they did not see
Pollycarpus pouring anything into the drinks they offered to
passengers.

Oedi Irianto, who prepared drink and meals for passengers at
the time, said he took all the drinks and meals from a sealed
trolley and prepared them in the pantry, adding that his
colleague Yetti later distributed the welcome drinks and meals to
passengers.

"The defendant did not come into the pantry when I was
preparing the welcome drink. I prepared 10 cups of orange juice,
three cups of apple juice and three cups of champaign for 16
passengers, including Munir, in the business class," Oedi said
but added that he didn't see Yetti offering the welcome drink.

Brahmani Hastawati, a purser who supervised the flight
attendants, said the welcome drink was offered as it was done in
other foreign flights and that he did not see the defendant
involved in the drink and meal service.

However, she said Pollycarpus had informed her about Munir's
move from economy class to occupy a seat in business class and
had given him a vacant seat in the premium class.

Prosecutors have not asked the Garuda employees to explain why
Munir was allowed to be upgraded.

"I didn't see anything strange during the flight," Brahmani
said.

Nor could she specify the defendant's motive for flying to
Singapore.

At the previous court hearings, Garuda chief pilot Karmal
Sembiring and other witnesses from the company said Pollycarpus
was assigned to Singapore to audit a Garuda flight there in line
with his new assignment as an internal security officer.

The ongoing trial also did not discuss the alleged involvement
of certain State Intelligence Agency (BIN) officers in the murder
case.

The government-sanctioned fact-finding team had recommended
that the National Police look into the alleged role of BIN agents
who were found to have made a lot of telephone calls to
Pollycarpus before and after Munir's death.

According to the team, the motives behind the murder were
believed to be related to Munir's staunch criticism of the
Indonesian Military for committing past human rights abuses.

Munir's wife Suciwati, who has frequently been intimidated
with grisly mail packages after she demanded justice for her
husband's murder, has voiced pessimism that the trial would
likely reveal the real culprits behind the assassination.