Zarina's lawyer wants to handle case alone

JAKARTA (JP): The lawyer of Ecstasy-case suspect Zarina said yesterday he had refused his client's wish that two noted lawyers, O.C. Kaligis and Ruhut Sitompul, be included in his defense team.

Lawyer Amir Syamsuddin said three lawyers would have been too many to defend Zarina.

He denied the two lawyers were trying to take over his position as Zarina's chief lawyer.

He said Zarina asked him Thursday to include Kaligis and Ruhut on the team.

Amir said Zarina thought more lawyers would make the team stronger. "Her wish is natural because as a suspect she badly needs protection."

He said he would convince Zarina he could handle the case by himself. "Zarina is free to choose lawyers. But up to now, I'm still her lawyer."

Amir said he would meet Kaligis and Ruhut to discuss the matter. "It's all for Zarina's best interest."

Zarina was arrested at her house in West Jakarta by Tangerang police on Aug. 7 for possessing 29,677 Ecstasy pills. She escaped the next day during a police escort.

She was re-arrested on Nov. 4 in Houston U.S., and brought back to Jakarta two weeks later.

Police submitted the dossier on Zarina on Wednesday to the Jakarta Provincial Prosecutor's Office. She was accused of distributing the pills and charged with violating Health Law Articles 80 and 81 and Health Ministry regulation number 782/1996 on psychotropic drugs.

A police source said Kaligis often met Zarina in police detention at the Jakarta Police headquarters this week.

Amir said everybody was free to meet his client."I never forbid my clients from meeting anyone as it doesn't run counter to lawyers' ethics." (jun)