Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Prosecutors will seek the death sentence for Maj. Gen. (ret) Muchdi Purwoprandjono if he is found guilty of involvement in the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) said Wednesday.
The case file submitted by the National Police early this week charged the former senior intelligence officer with murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death, AGO spokesman BD Nainggolan said.
"We will request the maximum penalty. The evidence brought by the police is solid enough to prove Muchdi's involvement," he told The Jakarta Post.
He said a letter connecting the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to the murder was material evidence linking Muchdi, a former BIN deputy chief, with the high-profile case.
The letter, which had been reported missing, was first mentioned in the trial of former Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Prijanto, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the murder.
Indra Setiawan, a witness in the Pollycarpus trial, testified he had received a classified letter from BIN asking that Pollycarpus be assigned as a security crew member for Munir's flight to Amsterdam.
Munir died from arsenic poisoning, administered during a stopover at Singapore's Changi Airport in September 2004.
Indra claimed the letter was stolen from his car. The recovery of the letter has filled the missing link between BIN and Munir's murder.
Abdul Hakim Ritonga, deputy attorney general for general crimes, said last week the police had obtained a soft copy of the letter, but stopped short of saying whether it would be presented in court as evidence.
Nainggolan said the AGO would bring the case to trial as soon as the police had handed over the accused and all the material evidence. "I think we can bring the case to trial within one or two weeks," he said.
During the Pollycarpus trial, Muchdi was named several times in written testimony by BIN agent Budi Santoso.
Budi testified that Muchdi gave Pollycarpus Rp 10 million (US$1,085) on June 14, 2004, and an additional Rp 3 or 4 million when the former pilot was under investigation in connection with the murder. Muchdi and Pollycarpus have both denied knowing each other.
Nainggolan said other evidence presented in the Pollycarpus trial could also be used to build the case against Muchdi, including a record of 41 calls from the phone numbers allegedly used by Pollycarpus and Muchdi before and after the 2004 murder.
Another former BIN deputy chief M. As'ad has also been linked to the murder. He reportedly signed the once-missing classified letter from BIN.
Human rights activists and lawmakers have demanded the police also arrest former BIN chief A.M. Hendropriyono for his possible connection to the Munir murder. Hendropriyono has denied all accusations against him.