U.S. should hand over Oki evidence: Singgih

U.S. should hand over Oki evidence: Singgih

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has once again asked the United States
government to hand over all material evidence regarding a triple
murder in Los Angeles, to enable the main suspect, Harnoko
Dewantono, alias Oki, to be tried here.

If the United States government really wants to honor its
commitment to fight crime, it should not ask that the trial be
held in the United States, Indonesian Attorney General Singgih
said after a meeting with President Soeharto yesterday. "Instead,
they should give us a helping hand by handing over material
evidence which will facilitate Oki's trial," he said.

But he added that the trial could be held either in Jakarta or
in Los Angeles.

Oki, 30, has been listed as the most wanted person by the Los
Angeles police in connection with the killing of two Indonesians
and an Indian in Los Angeles between 1991 and 1992.

The three decomposing corpses were found together in a Los
Angeles storage locker and identified late last year.

Oki was arrested in Central Jakarta on Jan. 7 in connection
with passport forgery allegations, but was later questioned and
charged in relation to the Los Angeles killing of his female
business partner Gina Sutan Aswar, his brother (Eri) Tri Harto
Darmawan and his Indian associate Suresh Mirchandani.

The suspect had been in the U.S. since 1984, after graduating
from high school in Indonesia.

Almost a month after the arrest of Oki, the U.S. government
sent a formal request to the Indonesian government asking Jakarta
to deport the suspect so that American police could bring Oki to
trial in the United States.

The Jakarta police handling the case here are facing possible
weaknesses in their dossiers due to the lack of important pieces
of evidence, such as a gun (allegedly used to kill Suresh) and a
hammer.

The Los Angeles police rejected a request from Indonesian
police that the evidentiary articles be loaned to them.

There are now concerns that Oki may be released, since most of
the important evidence and witnesses in the case against him are
in Los Angeles.

Singgih said his office has yet to respond to the U.S. request
that Oki be deported.

"Our law stipulates that we have to protect our citizens from
whatever punishment he or she might face," he said.

According to Singgih, the treatment and punishment of
criminals in Indonesia is similar to those in the United States
and elsewhere in the world.

"If they (the U.S. government) want to see Oki tried by a
court then they should hand the material evidence over to us,"
Singgih said.

"It's just evidence ... so what's the problem?" he asked.

President Soeharto suggested on Tuesday that Oki be tried in
his homeland, here in Jakarta.

His remarks are widely expected to carry weight in Singgih's
decision regarding the trial venue. (bsr)