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Jessica's Australian witness interrogated in immigration office
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Australian forensics pathologist Beng Beng Ong, (second right) testifies on Sept. 5 during the trial of murder defendant Jessica Kumala Wongso in the Central Jakarta District Court. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
T
he Australian pathologist Beng Beng Ong who appeared on Monday as a witness for murder suspect Jessica Kumala Wongso in her trial was interrogated in the immigration office on Tuesday because of an alleged immigration violation, according to the head of Central Jakarta immigration office, Tato Juliadin Hidayawan.
The immigration office confiscated Ong’s passport at Terminal 2 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday when Ong was about to leave the country on a Singapore Airlines plane.
After immigration took Ong’s passport, Ong returned to his hotel before undergoing an interrogation at the immigration office.
"Currently, we still can't make comments on whether Ong has violated the law or not. We are still investigating Ong now," Tato told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, adding the interrogation started at 1 p.m. after Ong’s translator joined him.
Tato said Ong was cooperative during the interrogation. Therefore, he hoped that the investigation would finish soon. After interrogating Ong, immigration officials would also question Jessica’s lawyers Otto Hasibuan, who was Ong’s sponsor.
Tato said Ong was interrogated after the immigration office monitored Jessica's trial, during which prosecutors alleged that Ong came to Indonesia on a tourist visa, not a short stay visa as required by immigration law.
The prosecutors said Ong had violated the immigration law so he deserved to be charged with a crime. Tato also explained that a person who holds a tourist visa cannot do the formal work in Indonesia, or receives.
However, he was still unable to confirm whether Ong had violated Indonesian law. (bbn)
