The National Police concluded that the fire that ravaged the Attorney General\'s Office was a criminal act. The fire was sparked by an open flame. The public awaits those responsible for the blaze.
The National Police concluded that the fire that ravaged the Attorney General\'s Office was a criminal act. The fire was sparked by an open flame. The public awaits those responsible for the blaze.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- The conclusion that the fire at the main building of the Attorney General\'s Office on 22 Aug. was a criminal act must be followed with information transparency, including the complete disclosure of those responsible. It is needed to quell the public\'s negative perceptions, which link the blaze to the corruption case currently being handled by the AGO.
The criminal aspect of the fire at the Attorney General\'s Office was mentioned by the head of the National Police\'s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), Comr. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo during a press conference on Thursday (17/9/2020). Also attending the press conference were Junior Attorney General for General Crimes Fadil Zumhana and Junior Attorney General for Intelligence Sunarta.
Listyo said the police team consisting of investigators from Bareskrim, Jakarta Police and South Jakarta Police have examined the crime scene (TKP), questioned the witnesses, collected evidence and performed analysis at the forensic laboratory.
From the crime scene, the National Police Forensic Laboratory Center (Puslabfor) concluded that the fire at the AGO main building was not triggered by an electrical short circuit, but rather because of an open flame. "Investigators have concluded there was a criminal element to it," said Listyo.
In relation to this, he also said that the police have carried out a case presentation with the AGO team and will fully investigate the case.
The fire, which occurred from the evening of 22 Aug. to the early hours of 23 Aug., burned down the main building of AGO, which is a six-floor building. The burned areas, among others, are on the 5th and 6th floors which are the office of the Junior Attorney General for Development. The fire also ravaged the 3rd and 4th, which are the office of the Deputy Attorney General for Intelligence.
Complete information
Barita Simanjuntak, chairman of the Indonesian Prosecutors\' Commission, said the results of the investigation by the Bareskrim have provided few answers. The investigators are expected to provide full or complete information to the public.
"It was said that the source of the fire was not from an electrical short circuit, but from an open lame. So where did the open flame come from? The term was not familiar in public and [the building] was also not locked, so that it can lead to various allegations," said Barita.
According to Barita, providing accurate and comprehensive information originating from competent sources is very important in this case. This is because the fire incident at the AGO\'s main building has produced various suspicions and negative perceptions in public.
This, he said, was understandable because the incident occurred when the AGO was handling a major case related to the escape of the convict in the Bank Bali case, Joko Tjandra. One of the suspects is prosecutor Pinangki Sirna Malasari. To answer these questions, clear and straightforward information is needed.
Now, Barita continued, the public is waiting for the police to announce who was responsible for the fire and its motives. To avoid various allegations, it is hoped that the information will be conveyed to the public immediately.
Meanwhile, professor of law at the University of Indonesia, Satya Arinanto, is of the view that the press conference regarding the results of
the investigation into the AGO fire incident which was conducted by the Police with AGO officials actually has led to certain perceptions.
Because the fire investigation is the domain of the police, according to Satya, the one that gives updates of the case should only be the police without the presence of officials from the prosecutor\'s office. He hopes that law enforcers will work professionally. Whoever is involved in the incident must be processed. "The law enforcers cannot avoid the spotlight or public curiosity. Moreover, the public links this incident to a big [corruption] case," said Satya.
Name the suspects
During the press conference, Listyo explained, the fire allegedly started at 6:15 p.m. The fire was thought to have originated from the personnel bureau’s meeting room on the 6th floor. The fire spread faster to other rooms and other floors because of the presence of flammable materials in the form of aluminum composite panel (ACP) on the outer layer of the building and the oil liquid containing hydrocarbon compounds.
At that time, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., several masons or people were on the 6th floor of the personnel bureau to carry out renovation works.
The building which was partitioned by flammable materials, such as gypsum, parquet floors and the presence of other combustible materials also speed up the spread of fire. At that time, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., several masons or people were on the 6th floor of the personnel bureau to carry out renovation works.
"We also found the fact that there were witnesses who tried to extinguish the fire. However, because they were not supported with adequate facilities and infrastructure, the fire was getting bigger and bigger so that inevitably they asked for help from the fire department,” said Listyo.
The police, he said, checked the crime scene, examined CCTV footage, collected charcoal ash and used satellite photos to obtain images of the possible origin of the fire. Investigators also collected evidence in the form of pieces of wood from the fire, bottles filled with liquid, jerry cans filled with liquid, cans of used glue, electrical installation cables and cleaning oil or dust cleaner stored at the cleaning service warehouse.
Listyo said investigators would immediately carry out an investigation to determine the suspect.
Meanwhile, Fadil Zumhana, the junior attorney for general crime, said that the AGO supports the disclosure of this criminal act. His side also agreed that the authority should start build the case.
"In principle, the Attorney General will seriously open up this incident so that it can be answered later and we will bring it to court," said Fadil. (NAD/PDS)