Fact-finding team: Munir murder was a conspiracy

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 09/25/2008 4:47 PM | National

The murder of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib was a conspiracy plot, a court heard Thursday.

Former Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto did not premeditate Munir's murder alone, said Hendardi, a former member of the government-sanctioned fact-finding team (TPF Munir).

Pollycarpus was convicted with murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"TPF concluded that it was impossible for the murder to be carried out by a sole individual. (The murder) was related to knowledge of Munir's activity," he said during the trial of former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy head Muchdi Purwopranjono.

Munir was found dead on board a Garuda Indonesia flight to Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004. The cause of death was poisoning by arsenic, which was administered during a stopover in Singapore.

Pollycarpus traveled on board the aircraft in his role as Garuda's corporate security officer, allegedly at the orders of Muchdi.

Hendardi said the team suspected Polycarpus was only the executor of the murder. (dre)

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