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Police worried Novel 'would escape out of window'
A team of lawyers representing the National Police has explained that police investigators arresting Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan followed him into his house and up to his bedroom, as they were worried he would escape out of the window
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team of lawyers representing the National Police has explained that police investigators arresting Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan followed him into his house and up to his bedroom, as they were worried he would escape out of the window.
During a pretrial hearing on Friday against the National Police for alleged misconduct during Novel's arrest and detention a little after midnight on May 1, Novel claimed that the police had no right to follow him up to his room in his private residence as he had only given them permission to wait in his living room.
However, one of the lawyers representing the police force, Joel Baner Toendan, claimed that previous experience made the police investigators wary.
'The police were waiting downstairs, but [Novel] was taking such a long time that they feared that he had jumped out of the window and run away. We've all heard stories of suspects jumping from the first floor in a bid to escape,' he told reporters.
Joel also dismissed Novel's claims that the warrant he had been shown had been signed by the National Police's detective division chief, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, which might indicate interference.
'It was signed only by the director of general crimes. The detective division chief did not know about it,' Joel said.
Novel was arrested a little after midnight on May 1 for allegedly beating a suspect to death during his tenure as the Bengkulu Police detective chief. He was eventually released following a deal between the police force and the KPK, but not before being flown to Bengkulu to partake in a reconstruction, which he refused to do as he had not been allowed to be accompanied by a lawyer of his choosing. (hhr)(++++)
