President Joko Widodo urged to ensure a fair and speedy investigation of the case
The family of a Catholic state employee who was apparently murdered due to his status as a witness in a corruption case has appealed to President Joko Widodo so the investigation allegedly involving military personnel can proceed quickly.
Theresia Alvita Saraswati, one of the daughters of Paulus Iwan Budi Prasetijo, 51, a Semarang City Government employee, sent a letter on behalf of her family to President Widodo on Nov. 4.
"Dear Mr. Joko Widodo, We, the family of the victim, request that the case which is suspected to involve the criminals from the state apparatus be resolved fairly," she wrote in the letter.
"We respectfully request that this case be concluded without the intervention of several parties who wish to cover up the heinous wrongdoing of the perpetrators," she added in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by UCA News.
Iwan went missing on Aug. 24, the day before he was scheduled to testify as a witness to a team investigating allegations of corruption in land acquisition at the Semarang City Financial and Asset Management Agency, where he worked.
His charred body was found by workers who had gone to clear bushes on the outskirts of the city on Sept. 8, police said. His body was mutilated, and his right hand and foot were found following a police search of the area.
Saraswati said her father's death is a real blow to the family.
"Right now, what can make us strong to continue living is seeing the perpetrators brought before the law for their barbaric actions against the precious life of the deceased," she said.
“We were previously a harmonious family full of warmth. The deceased was a responsible, wise and loving head of the family," she said.
Father Aloysius Budi Purnomo, chairman of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the Semarang Episcopal Vicariate under Semarang archdiocese, who accompanied the victim's family said: “I support every positive effort made by the family to thoroughly investigate the barbaric act against the deceased.”
"I hope that President Jokowi will respond positively to the family’s call by paying attention to this case and ordering the relevant parties to work professionally," he told UCA News.
Iqbal Alqudusy, a spokesman for Central Java Provincial Police, said they have questioned 30 witnesses so far, but still have not been able to identify suspects.
One of them, he said, was AG, a key witness who was in charge of guarding the entrance to Marina Semarang Beach, where the victim was killed.
This case also involved two soldiers who had been investigated.
Setyawan, the family's lawyer, said they planned to send a separate letter to the Army Commander, General Andika Perkasa to demand his attention, including firm action against the members suspected of being involved.
Beka Ulung Hapsara, the commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, said although they were not investigating the case, they were assisting police investigators and the military "so that there would be no obstruction of justice."
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