Tue, 15 Jun 2004

Sutiyoso missing from police's list of July 27 suspects

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta

The Jakarta prosecutor's office received only four dossiers of the July 27 case on Monday despite police assurances that they would submit all six case files without delay.

Kemas Yahya Rachman, spokesman of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, said the four dossiers were of former director of the now defunct military intelligence body (BIA) Zaky Anwar Makarim and BIA officer Syamsiar Wangsa Miarza, former PDI chairman Soerjadi, M. Rasyid, Edi Kusworo, and Pratomo Kuntodwitno, and the last former Mobile Brigade (Brimob) company commander Soenaryo.

"We will examine the dossiers whether or not they are ready for trial," Kemas told The Jakarta Post Monday.

"We hope police will soon submit the remaining dossiers," he said.

Other suspects include former Jakarta Military commander Lt. Gen. Sutiyoso and former PDI secretary-general Buttu Hutapea.

Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono said earlier on Monday that his office would submit the dossiers of all six suspects in the bloody takeover of PDI headquarters.

He said investigators had completed the dossiers of the suspects and would hand them over to the prosecutor's office without delay.

"As investigators of the case, we have the full authority to decide to continue or to stop the investigation into the case as we are protected by the Police Law," Suyitno, who is also the chief of the joint investigating team, said.

Deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Pramono Anung and vice presidential candidate Hasyim Muzadi urged the police earlier to delay the case until after the presidential election to avoid the accusation that the probe was politically motivated.

Some analysts had suggested that the urgency and timing of the investigation was intended to discredit presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Democratic Party, an allegation that has badly hurt Megawati's image.

The reopening of the case, which claimed five lives, injured 149, and left 23 others missing, raised suspicion that the case was being used as a political tool by Megawati because the police and the Attorney General's Office are all under the President's command.

The police, however, denied all the charges saying that they had never discontinued the investigation, and it was a coincidence that new evidence was found during the election period.

Susilo, who chose former coordinating minister for people's welfare Jusuf Kalla as his running mate, has topped all public opinion polls over the past few months.

He was the chief of staff of the Jakarta Military in 1996 when the incident occurred. He was, however, not in the suspect list released by the military police in 2002.

A joint team of military police, National Police and the Attorney General's Office questioned him as a witness twice in 2000 and 2001.

Suyitno's assistant Brig. Gen. Aryanto Sutadi said on Monday that the dossiers comprised all of the suspects, including Sutiyoso, who is the governor of Jakarta.

"We hope that all the six dossiers can be given to the prosecutor's office so that we can bring the case straight to court," said Aryanto.