May 22 Riot Trial: Police Seized US$2,760 from Defendant

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The police seized US$2,760, or roughly Rp39 million, plus Rp1.6 million in cash from May 22 riot defendant, Rendy Bugis Petta Lolo. Prosecutors charged Rendy and six other defendants of taking part in the riots in front of Bawaslu by throwing stones and bottles at police.

In his testimony at the Central Jakarta District Court, member of the Jakarta Police's Criminal Investigation Directorate General Edi Widayanto said a number of incriminating evidences were taken when the defendant was arrested.

"We seized US$2,760 and around Rp1.6 million in cash, clothes, T-shirts and cellphones," Edi said when testifying at the Central Jakarta Court, Monday, August 19.

Presiding judge Makmur asked Edi who arrested Rendy and took in the evidence. "We forgot. All I knew at that time was Rendy had cash," he said.

Edi said the police arrested more than 200 people on Tuesday night, May 21 and Wednesday morning, May 22.

Rendy and six other defendants: Abdurrais Ishak, Jumawal, Zulkadri Purnama Yuda, Vivi Andrian, Syamsul Huda, and Yoga Firdaus are charged with article 212 in conjunction with article 214 of the Criminal Code, or article 170 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, or article 218 of the Criminal Code.

Meanwhile, Rendy's lawyer Hamid Djafar said the cash was his client's personal money. "That is Rendy's own money that he was going to pay the hotel with. He also planned to shop in Tanah Abang. He brought US dollars, because carrying that amount of cash in rupiah would be too many [bills]," Hamid claimed. 

Hamid admitted Rendy took part in the demonstration at Bawaslu on May 21. Rendy and three other defendants, he said, were heading back to their hotel during the wee hours of May 22, at around 2:00. However, the police intercepted them and arrested them after discovering they were Lombok residents.

LANI DIANA WIJAYA