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)