Victim confirms Gunawan's role in Asaba homicide

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said on Friday the statement made by a victim of a murder attempt, Paulus Tejakusuma, confirmed the involvement of businessman Gunawan Santosa, the suspected mastermind in the high-profile murder of PT Asaba director Boedyharto Angsono last July.

"We have obtained Paulus' statement and evidence that corroborates the police investigation," he said.

The police dispatched a team of three last week to Singapore to get Paulus' statement on the murder attempt. Paulus is still being treated at a hospital there after surviving the shooting on Jl. Angkasa in front of Hotel Golden, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on June 6.

He sustained gunshot wounds to his chest, chin and right shoulder.

The hospital passed the three bullets taken from Paulus' body to the police, to be used as evidence.

According to Salempang, the bullets match a .38 caliber FN pistol used in the shooting.

In Paulus' deposition, seen by The Jakarta Post, Paulus says he knew that Gunawan Santosa had targeted him.

"He (Gunawan) hated me so much and had planned to kill me as I managed to discover he had misused Rp 40 billion (US$4.7 million) that belonged to the Asaba Group," he said, as stated in the deposition paper.

Paulus, who was PT Asaba's finance director, made a report to Boedyharto, who was Gunawan's father-in-law at the time. Boedyharto dismissed Gunawan and took him to the police. A court sentenced him to two years and eight months in jail.

Gunawan escaped Kuningan Penitentiary in Cirebon, West Java, before he completed the sentence, and, according to the police investigation, hired four low-ranking marines to help him carry out the killing of Boedyharto and Paulus.

Salempang said police had completed the dossiers on Gunawan regarding the murder of Boedyharto and his bodyguard, Second Sgt. Edi Siyep, who was a member of the Army's Special Forces Kopassus), on July 19 at the parking lot of Sasana Krida Sports Stadium, Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

The police arrested Gunawan on Sept. 11 at an upmarket rented apartment on Jl. Industri Raya, Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta. Gunawan had undergone plastic surgery to disguise his facial features. He also carried three different identity cards by the names of Indra Amapta, Dustin Bakrie and Kevin Martin.