THE National Police chief has suspended two additional high-ranking police officers following the controversy over the alleged shooting death of an officer while on duty as the personal secretary of the internal affairs chief.
The suspensions of South Jakarta police chief Sr Comr Budhi Herdi Susianto and Internal Security Bureau chief Brig-Gen Hendra Kurniawan follow the earlier suspension of internal affairs chief Insp-Gen Ferdy Sambo, whose residence was the site of the shootout.
A special investigation is ongoing into the alleged shootout between the two police officers assigned to Ferdy’s residence that left one dead.
“The National Police chief (Gen Listyo Sigit Prabowo) has decided to suspend two (other officers),” National Police spokesman Insp-Gen Dedi Prasetyo said, as quoted by Tempo. Another police spokesman, Brig-Gen Ahmad Ramadhan, confirmed that the latest suspensions were related to the ongoing investigation into the death of Brig Nopryansyah Yosua Hutabarat, but declined to provide any details.
Yosua’s family, through their legal representatives, had demanded the suspension of Budhi and Hendra for failing to follow police procedure in the initial investigation into Yosua’s death.
The family has filed a report alleging that his death was the result of premeditated murder, citing discrepancies between the information provided by the police and the wounds and bruises they had discovered on his body.
Yosua was reportedly killed in a shootout with Second Agent (Bharada) E on July 8 at Ferdy’s residence. Bharada E had been on duty at the residence as Ferdy’s personal secretary, while Yosua was on duty as a chauffeur to Ferdy’s wife.
Lawyers for Yosua’s family claimed that the family had found lacerations on Yosua’s body as well as bruising under his eyes, on his nose, mouth, shoulders, hands and legs.
They also stated that the police did not list these injuries.
The family’s lawyers also noted other suspicious events surrounding his death, including that Yosua’s three mobile phones were missing and that attempts had been made to hack his relatives’ phones after they had been told of his death.
The family had also been initially barred from seeing Yosua’s body, according to a complaint they filed with the National Police. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
