JAKARTA: The Jakarta Police is investigating the mysterious death of a man reported to be the butler of former assistant attorney general of special crimes Febrie Adriansyah, fuelling widespread speculations amid the corruption investigation against the former prosecutor.
News about the death of Sutrimo, a 42-year-old man, who was found unconscious on Thursday (July 23) with foam coming out from his mouth went viral and stirred controversy online. The information was first shared by Instagram account @kementerian_kurangajar, which claimed that Sutrimo was Febrie’s household manager.
Detailing the chronology of the incident, the account said Sutrimo had previously complained to his partner of feeling unwell on July 23 morning. He was later found lying in front of Mordent Aesthetic Clinic in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. The clinic, which appeared to have been nonoperational and abandoned, is located less than one kilometre from Febrie’s house in the vicinity of South Jakarta.
In its post, the account further claimed four unidentified individuals transported Sutrimo by ambulance to Muhammadiyah Taman Puring Hospital in South Jakarta, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Sutrimo’s remains had been returned to his family in Banyumas, Central Java in the evening of July 23. The body was already wrapped in a shroud when it arrived in the family’s house, and the family reportedly buried him without opening the sheet.
After news of the incident spread widely on Sunday, the Jakarta Police confirmed on Monday that its investigators were launching a probe into the case.
“The Jakarta Police will investigate any information, however minor, particularly regarding the loss of a life,” spokesperson Sr. Comr. Budi Hermanto said in a televised briefing, while admitting the police first heard about the case from social media and news reports.
“Whether the death was caused by natural factors or something unnatural remains under investigation,” he went on to say.
The investigation was conducted with investigators of the South Jakarta Police, which inspected the crime scene on Monday. But Budi did not disclose evidence investigators found at the clinic, citing the ongoing examination. He also did not confirm any relation between Sutrimo and Febrie.
The spokesperson added Sutrimo’s family could officially file a police report if they detected any irregularities in the case, while the police would not rule out the possibility of an exhumation should the probe conclude the death was unnatural.
As of Tuesday, the police had yet to announce the cause of Sutrimo’s death or any findings from the investigation, leaving some questions remaining, including whether the death related to his reported work for the former prosecutor. Budi did not respond to The Jakarta Post’s request for comment on the case on Tuesday.
News on Sutrimo’s death surfaced shortly after the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) detained the former assistant attorney general for special crimes (jampidsus) on July 24 after naming him a suspect in a money laundering case pertaining to the handling of a graft case involving state-owned insurer PT Asabri during his tenure.
Febrie was arrested following 10 hours of questioning. He was seen not wearing a detainee vest or handcuffs when being transported from the AGO headquarters to a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detention centre.
The arrest came after days of uncertainty over his whereabouts despite his being named a graft suspect earlier this month. Doubts have also surrounded the case about whether the AGO can investigate its former top official fairly and objectively.
Febrie’s name first appeared when the police raided multiple locations earlier this month, including a house in Sentul, West Java, where they seized billions of rupiah in various currencies and 74 kilogrammes of gold bars.
He admitted the house was his and resigned from his post on July11 but denied any wrongdoing. The police later named him a suspect but handed the case over to the AGO.
Febrie’s lawyer, Febri Diansyah, said on Tuesday he had no information regarding news of Sutrimo’s death, emphasising that he is only a lawyer handling his client’s graft case.
The Jakarta Police also dismissed a rumour circulating online that one of Febrie’s aides had been shot dead and urged the public not to speculate or spread any unverified information. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
