15 officers up on disciplinary charges for jailing innocents

The East Java Police have begun disciplinary hearings against 15 officers accused of negligence in a 2007 wrongful arrest incident, Kompas.com reported Tuesday.

"The hearings have started, let's wait for the results," East Java Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Sugiyono told reporters in Surabaya.

Sugiyono said 14 of the officers, serving in the Jombang, Mojokerto and Kedungmulyo police forces, are attending hearings at Bojonegoro Police headquarters, while former Jombang Police
chief Adj. Snr. Comr. Dwi Setiadi was tried at National Police headquarters.

"He is currently posted at National Police headquarters, so his hearing has been scheduled there," he said.

The wrongful arrests were confirmed through DNA tests carried out on the remains of 11 victims of serial killer suspect Verry Idham Henyansyah, alias Ryan. Ten of the bodies had been found in Ryan's parents' backyard in Jombang.

The DNA test results revealed that one of the bodies was a man named Asrori a.k.a Aldo, who had been declared murdered, leading to murder charges being brought against Imam Chambali a.k.a Kemat, 30, Devid Eko Priyanto, 23, and Sugianto a.k.a Sugik.

In May, Jombang District Court sentenced Kemat and Devid Eko Priyanto to 17 and 12 years in prison respectively. Both were later released following the DNA evidence.  Sugik, awaiting trial, was also released after the Jombang court decided to throw out all charges against him. (dre)