Witness testifies safe wasn't Zarina's

JAKARTA (JP): The former boyfriend of Zarina, a would-be TV star on trial in an Ecstasy case, testified yesterday that the safe containing Ecstasy seized from her house by police, was not hers.

Zarina was arrested on Aug. 7 by police when they raided her house and confiscated a safe containing 29,677 Ecstasy pills and Rp 100,000 (US$41). She is being tried for possessing, distributing and producing Ecstasy.

Edwin Raidinal, a university student, told the West Jakarta District Court that he saw the safe in her room in August last year.

"I asked her whose safe it was. She said it belonged to Roy, a friend she had met in the Netherlands," he said.

Edwin, who used to visit Zarina at her house, told the court that when he asked Zarina why it was there she said, "Roy will pick it up soon".

He testified that he asked her because he was jealous.

Edwin said he met Roy for the first time on the morning of Aug. 2 at Zarina's house, while she was out.

"Roy came in with a yellow bag and asked me where the safe was. I told him it was in Zarina's room and told him that she had left the safe's keys for him," he said.

Edwin told the court that after fixing his car for ten minutes he went inside to find out what Roy was up to.

He said he saw Roy putting something into the safe, but he did not know what it was.

He said he asked Roy to take the safe with him, but Roy said he would later.

"Then Roy went out without the yellow bag and took the safe keys with him," he said.

Edwin said all he knew about Roy was that he was Eurasian, 45 years old, spoke Indonesian with a clear Dutch accent, and according to Zarina he was a visitor from the Netherlands.

Edwin said Zarina had been to the Netherlands twice since they first met in 1994.

Responding to judge's question about whether he knew if she had any business there, Edwin said, "She told me she has a ceramic business there and she also went to see her friends and an aunt."

The trial was adjourned until Thursday. (13)