CASE BROKERAGE WHISTLE BLOWER MAY TURN SUSPECT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 6 (ANTARA) - Lawyers of case brokerage whistle blower Susno Duaji,  a former National Police chief detective,  expressed concern on Thursday that police investigators will  name him a suspect.          "There is an indication that Susno will be named a suspect and detained. There are rumors to that effect. So, it is just logical if we are worried," M. Assegaf, one of Susno's lawyers, said at the Police Headquarters on Thursday.          Susno Duadji became popular for having revealed a Rp25 billion-worth tax fraud case involving rogue tax official Gayus Tambunan and made a public statement suggesting that case brokering practices were rife in the  police force.           Apart from rumors that the former chief of the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) would be named a suspect, his lawyers were also suspicious about the police summons which did not contain the name of a suspect.          Susno did not show up for questioning as a witness on Thursday because the summons did not include the name of a suspect.           Assegaf said  his client was reluctant to come to the national police headquarters because the summons did not specifically mention the names of the suspects in the case for which he was to be questioned.           "Our client is very sorry for not being able to meet the police's summons," he said.           Assegaf said members of Susno Duadji's lawyers' team had met with the National Police's  chief detective, Commissioner General Ito Sumardi, to ask him about the absence of the suspects' names in the summons.           He said  previous police questioning processes were conducted  professionally but there were indications the police  would later name Susno a suspect and arrest him.           "It has become a rumor. Of course, we are concerned," he said.           In the meantime, Chief Criminal Investigator Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi said that police independent investigators had the authority to change Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji's status from  witness to suspect and to detain him.          "There is a rule which stipulates that the team of independent investigators has the full right to carry out investigation, including naming Pak (Mr) Susno a suspect and detain him," Ito said.          Comr. Gen. Ito made the statement in connection with the failure of Susno Duadji to meet the police's first summons on Thursday and the fear of Susno's lawyers that their client would be named a suspect and detained.          The independent investigators would have questioned former chief  Susno Duadji at Police Headquarters on Thursday in connection with tax official Gayus Tambunan tax fraud case and alleged money embezzlement at PT Salma Arowana Lestari.          Because he did not show up on Thursday at the police headquarters for examinations, investigators sent Susono a second summons on Thursday for questioning on Monday.          "The summons was sent on Thursday," Police Headquarters' Spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said.          The police spokesman said Susno's lawyer questioned the summons as it did not mention the name of the suspect nor the case over which Susno would be questioned, and that this was the reason his client had not met the summons.          Edward Aritonang said the  Code of Criminal Procedures (Kuhap) did not require a summons to mention the name of a suspect.          "In fact, Pak (Mr) Susno was to be questioned to identify or determine the suspect," the police headquarters' spokesman said. The two-star general said  the format of the second summons was the same as the first one, namely it did not contain  the name of a suspect.          Edward said the questioning would be about  the public remarks Susno had once made alleging there was a case-brokering network  bigger than the one involving tax official Gayus Tambunan with  Sjahril Djohan as the key player.          When questioned by the police's independent  investigation team,  Sjahril Djohan had linked  Susno's name with a money embezzlement case involving  PT Salma Arowana Lesteri, which was doing an arowana breeding business.          Another member of  Susno Duadji's lawyers' team, Ari Yusuf Amir, had previously said   the police investigators assigned to question Susno on Thursday  were the same as those who had quizzed him on  April 20 and April 22.  Police  had so far quizzed Susno three times over the Gayus Tambunan and arowana fish cases.          Tambunan is now a suspect in tax fraud case worth Rp25 billion which also involved his lawyer, Haposan Hutagalung.          During the April questioning, police  questioned Susno about the arowana fish case because it might have involved Haposan Hutagalung and Sjahril Djohan. The latter was also allegedly involved in the Gayus Tambunan case.       The arowana fish case was related to a dispute between a Singaporean businessman (only identified as HKH) and  his Indonesian counterpart (only identified as AS alias Am).          HKH reportedly had given Rp100 billion to his Indonesian  partner to engage in the arowana fish business in Pekanbaru, Riau Province. The Singaporean businessman had also handed over arowana fingerlings with a total value of Rp32 billion. The dispute occurred when he was still the national police's chief detective.          On the summons for Susno's questioning on Monday, Police Chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri has confirmed it.  Danuri said a followup summons had to be issued to Susno Duadji who did not meet a first summons.          Danuri said that based on existing  procedural rules, a second summons would be sent if the first summons was not fulfilled. If Susno remained defiant and did not meet the second summons, the third summons would be sent with an order to bring him to the police headquarters for questioning.          "It will depend on the investigators," the police chief said.      (A014/A/HAJM/A/S012) 06-05-2010 21:21:5