Two officers testify at trial of top pimp

JAKARTA (JP): Two police officers testified yesterday at the South Jakarta District Court in the trial of three assistants of Hartono Setyawan, the country's most notorious pimp, saying that a police raid did not find any prostitutes in the pimp's residence.

"Once we entered the house on July 23 at Jl. Prapanca 4, South Jakarta, we inspected all the rooms but could not find any call girls in the house," said Chief Sargeant Sudaryanto.

He said that the team found only empty rooms with suitcases stuffed with expensive gowns.

Sudaryanto said the police team of six officers found nine people, including three servants, defendant Kho Ghay Goen, the pimp's assistant and defendant Hamzah, Hartono's receptionist.

In the court session led by presiding judge Stephanus Sutrisno, Sudaryanto said that the team then took Hamzah and Kho Ghay Goen, better known as Goenawan, to city police headquarters.

The two were defendants in yesterday's session.

Chief Sargeant Zainal Machmud, the second witness, said that not long after the raid, he received information that there were three of Hartono's call girls working at the Century Park Hotel and the Jakarta Hilton Hotel, both in Central Jakarta.

Zainal told the judge that the police then formed a team to carry out another raid on the two hotels.

During the second raid the police succeeded in nabbing three call girls and Ari Dewanto, the driver of a white Daihatsu Taft jeep used to carry the girls from Jl. Prapanca to their destinations.

Ari was the third defendant in yesterday's session, while the three call girls are to be called later to the court as witnesses for the prosecution.

Judge Stephanus adjourned the trial of the three defendants until Oct. 26, the day when their boss will also be tried in the same courthouse.

Two of the three call girls, Nova Novianti, 20, and Natalia Risani, 24, were caught red handed by police while offering their services to their guests at the Century Park Hotel. The other, Nunuk Sriyanti, 31, was caught on her way to the Jakarta Hilton,

Hartono, 42, was the most notorious pimp of high-class call girls in the country. He was arrested on July 27 at his mansion in Pondok Indah area, South Jakarta.

He reportedly charged his customers Rp 750,000 (US$343) for three hours service and Rp 1.5 million for 12 hours.(mas)