John Kei: (Kompas)
Around 50 people from East Nusa Tenggara and Kei Island in Maluku visited the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in Jakarta on Tuesday to show their support for the immediate trial of murder suspect and notorious gang leader John Kei.
The group arrived around 2 p.m. at the AGO, carrying banners of protest against John Kei.
"Don't be afraid of John Kei, so we can live peacefully in this world," some of the banners read.
The group’s leader, Bram Bani, said there would likely be some pressure against prosecutors and the police to prevent them from processing Kei’s case. The group pledged, however, to support all actions taken by the authorities and to assist them in this case.
“To the prosecutors, we say: ‘Don’t be afraid of pressure from anyone, and don’t complicate the police’s effort in completing the suspect’s file,’” Bram said at the AGO on Tuesday.
The AGO’s institutional relations division head, Wahyu Purnomo, received the group for discussions.
The AGO has said no further evidence relating to Kei’s case has been found, but he pledged he was undeterred by outside pressures.
“We will not change our stance [if evidence shows Kei is guilty]. Thank you for the support,” Wahyu said.
Jakarta Police apprehended John Kei on February 17 at the C’One Hotel in Pulomas, East Jakarta, for his alleged involvement in the murder of PT Sanex Steel Indonesia owner, Tan Harry Tantono. Kei was named a suspect shortly afterward.
The police raided Kei’s hotel room and caused a gunshot wound to Kei’s right calf, maintaining that Kei tried to resist arrest.
Since then, Kei has remained in custody at the Jakarta Police’s detention facility.
The police are required to submit a completed file to the Jakarta prosecutor’s office for Kei’s trial before they reach the maximum detention period, which is 120 days. However, the prosecutor’s office has rejected the police submissions five times, saying the dossiers were not yet complete.
The police and the AGO are expected to meet to discuss the case this week.
Kei’s period of detention should have ended early on Saturday.
However, he was admitted to the National Police Hospital one day before his detention was due to end. Kei still remains in custody due to his medical treatment. (fzm)
