"When we asked for information, [we were told] the questioning had started at 2 a.m. when the lawyers were outside," he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Bahrain maintained that Novel's lawyers had arrived at the National Police criminal investigations directorate (Bareskrim) headquarters at 1 a.m. but were denied entry as the on duty officer claimed not to have a key to the interrogation room.

"The on duty officer claimed he had not seen Novel Baswedan and could not enter interrogation room because he didn'€™t have a key," he said

It was only at 5 a.m. that the on duty officer conceded that he had seen Novel in the interrogation room and the lawyers were allowed to meet him and were informed that interrogation had started at 2 a.m.

"Novel has also signed his dossier. He is now waiting for the copy of the dossier," Bahrain said.

Novel, who was a police detective, was arrested at around midnight at his house in connection to a 2004 torture case when he was stationed at the Bengkulu Police.

The 2004 case revolves around Novel's then subordinates who allegedly tried to extract information from a suspect who subsequently died. Novel assumed responsibility and was harshly reprimanded.

Bareskrim has been targeting Novel since he started an investigation into alleged corruption in the procurement of driving simulators at the National Police Traffic Police Corps (Korlantas) involving then Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, who headed up the corps. (nvn)

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