Prosecutors seek eight-year jail term for Bulyan

Prosecutors seek eight-year jail term for Bulyan



Prosecutors have demanded that nonactive lawmaker and defendant Bulyan Royan serve eight years in jail and pay Rp 500 million (US$41,400) in fines for accepting bribes for a procurement tender at the Transportation Ministry.

The prosecutors also asked that the defendant serve an additional six months in jail should he fail to pay the money.

During Wednesday’s trial session in the corruption court, prosecutor Agus Salim said Bulyan had violated article 12.A of the 1999 corruption law.

“The defendant has been proved to have actively asked and received money from businessmen taking part in the procurement tender in 2007,” he told tempointeraktif.com.

Out of the total project fund worth Rp 35 billion, he added, the defendant had received Rp 3.4 billion from businessmen Dedy Suwarsono, Dwi Aningsih, Suratno Ramli, Kresna Santosa, Chandra and Hosea Aliminata. 

Bulyan’s lawyer Safrianto Refa said he was disappointed with the demand and that it was heavier than he had expected.

“We expected our client would serve up to six years since he did not actively ask for the money and he arranged meetings to carry out the project,” he told journalists after the court session. (ewd)

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Journalist's death remains a mystery

Journalist's death remains a mystery

Officials refuse to disclose the investigation results into the death of a newspaper reporter, despite reports that a recent autopsy had revealed "enlightening" facts. 

On Tuesday, the police confirmed the Radar Bali newspaper reporter, Anak Agung Gede Bagus Narendra Prabangsa, had suffered blunt force trauma to the head. However, they remained tightlipped on any other information, citing the ongoing investigation. 

"The preliminary result from the autopsy showed he was hit in the head with a blunt object. We can't disclose any more preliminary results because we're afraid it will only disrupt our work," Sr. Comr. Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra, head of the Bali Police's public relations division, said in Denpasar. 

On Monday, Prabangsa was found dead, floating in the sea just off Padangbai, Karangasem. The 41-year-old journalist had been missing since last Thursday. 

The police, who often work closely with journalists, promised a swift and thorough investigation into Prabangsa's death. 

The gravity of the case has been underscored by the fact it is being handled by the Bali Police, and not the local police. 

Sugianyar said the Bali Police's crime unit had taken over the investigation. 

"The investigation is moving extra fast on this case, and our detectives are working together with the Manggis Police in Karangasem to solve this case," he said. 

"But in relation to how we work, I simply cannot publicize the results of our field investigations. Neither can we say who the witnesses are." 

Autopsy results also showed Prabangsa was apparently still breathing when he entered the water. 

"This is evident in the presence of foreign objects inside his digestive system," said Dr. Dudut Rustyadi, coordinator of Sanglah Hospital's forensics lab. 

However, he refused to specify how long Prabangsa had been in the sea, saying, "The perpetrator might use *this information* for an alibi." 

Further examination of the body, Dudut said, showed it was already in a highly decomposed state. The ears and eyeballs were missing, indicating they had been eaten by fish. 

Furthermore, Prabangsa's body, showed signs of a struggle. 

"His face is bruised, while his head and right arm are broken. It's like he was blocking something," Dudut said. 

Prabangsa's body was buried Monday evening after the autopsy, at his parents' home in Taman Bali Buleleng, where his family last saw him. 

The funeral was conducted quickly because his family believed his death was unnatural. In Hindu-majority Bali, the deceased are often left alone for a while before being cremated in an elaborate ceremony. 

Prabangsa had worked at Radar Bali for the past eight years. 

According to friends, the death did not seem to have any connection with the news he was working on or his profession as a journalist. 

"I and several of my friends have already gone through questioning, but I think none of us have any information on anything suspicious. We're confused too. Who would do this, and why?" said Candra Gupta, Prabangsa's colleague at Radar Bali. 

Prabangsa is survived by his wife, Sagung Mas Prihantini , and two children, Anak Agung Gede Candra Dwipayana, 11, and Anak Agung Sri Hartini Dewantari, 14

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Police & Fire Briefs for Feb.16 th

Police & Fire Briefs for Feb. 16, 2009

Overloaded cord sparks fire at home

An overloaded power strip in a home office started a fire 2636 77th Ave. Saturday evening, firefighters said.

Firefighters received the call around 5:43 p.m., Fire Department spokesman Barry Mounce said in a news release.

The home’s three occupants were inside when the fire started but were able to escape unharmed, Mounce said.

The fire gutted the office and spread into the hallway, where firefighters contained it, Mounce said.

The home sustained an estimated $80,000 in damage, Mounce said.

Authorities arrest one DWI suspect

Authorities arrested at least one person suspected of driving while intoxicated in East Baton Rouge Parish and booked the person into Parish Prison between 3 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, booking records show.

--Kewain Shermaine Spurlock, 33, 3193 Wyandotte St., second-offense DWI, aggravated battery, simple kidnapping, unauthorized removal of a motor vehicle and driver’s license suspended/revoked.

Police seek suspects in three shootings

Baton Rouge police are still looking for suspects in three unrelated shootings over the weekend.

On Saturday, police investigated a shooting in the 2300 block of Kentucky Street that occurred around 3:20 a.m., police spokesman Capt. Carl Kelley said in a news release. The shooting left a 20-year-old man dead, he said.

Police spokesman Lt. Charles Armstrong identified the victim as Isaiah B. Thomas, 2339 Kentucky Street.

The other shootings occurred Friday around 6:30 p.m. at 754 E. McKinley St., police said.

Two unidentified men were found shot inside the house, Kelley said.

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Police look into case of unconscious woman

In brief: Police look into case of unconscious woman

EL PASO -- El Paso police on Sunday attempted to find out what happened to a woman found unconscious on a driveway in Sunset Heights.

Police were called to the 200 block of Rio Grande at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Three men walking on Rio Grande saw the woman lying on a driveway and called police. 

The woman, who was not identified, appeared to be intoxicated and looked as if she had been beaten, officers said. The woman was taken to Thomason Hospital, where she remained in stable condition. Investigators were waiting for the woman to wake up to try to determine what happened.

Stephanie Sanchez 

Carlsbad groups dislike beer billboard

CARLSBAD -- Officials with Eddy County's anti-drunken driving program are concerned that Carlsbad may be getting a bad name thanks to a billboard just outside of town.

It reads "Bud Light. Our Kind of Town."

Eddy County DWI program coordinator Cindy Sharif says even though the billboard doesn't mention Carlsbad, it's sending the wrong message about the Southern New Mexico community.

Sharif says she understands that companies have the right to advertise, but she wishes that billboards such as the one north of town would be placed elsewhere, not at the gateway to Carlsbad.

Wanda Welch, a real estate agent and co-chair of Keep Carlsbad Beautiful, says she doesn't like the billboard's message either.

Carlsbad Current-Argus

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HPD chief looks back at ’08

HPD chief looks back at ’08

Throughout the Houston Police Department, officers have carried out a variety of initiatives in 2008 that have proven to be very beneficial, and I look forward to seeing where the dedication of all HPD employees takes the department in the years to come.

Total Part I crime decreased by 8.4 percent in 2008. Murder decreased 16.4 percent and robbery by 7.6 percent, and non-violent crime decreased by 10.2 per- cent. Statistics reveal that gang-related murders de- creased by 40.9 percent, but rapes increased 8.1 percent and aggravated assaults were up by 9.1 percent. Fifty-four percent of the aggravated assaults were family/domestic violence incidents.

City Council approved the Convenience Store Ordinance, which requires the businesses to register with the police department and enact other security measures. In 2008, crime in and around convenience stores decreased 17 percent from the prior year.

The department formed the Video 8-Liner Enforce-ment Team in 2008 to address crime in and around game rooms. Close to 20,000 citations were issued, and 72 game rooms were closed.

Strategically positioned, the newly acquired Breath Alcohol Testing van, or B.A.T. van, allows officers to quickly process intoxicated suspects. Five additional vans will soon be acquired.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has also assisted in our DWI enforcement efforts through No Refusal Nights. During No Refusal Nights, when a suspect refuses to take a breath test, a search warrant for a blood specimen is issued by an assistant district attorney. In 2008, 248 such warrants were completed.

Additionally, HPD contracted a United Kingdom-based company to conduct a diagnostic review of the DNA laboratory. Forensic Science Services delivered their report in January, and we are now evaluating their recommendations.

Seventies-era helicopters were replaced and the additional purchase of patrol and training copters will move the department toward providing air coverage 21 hours a day.

The department has also worked to increase the number of officers performing police duties through recruiting and the Officers to the Street pro- gram. Officers to the Street will, by the end of fiscal year 2009, fill 98 administrative positions with civilians. Officers who filled those positions will be reassigned to policing functions.

I take great pride in the many successes of the Houston Police Department. Uniformed and civilian employees alike have made for a spectacular year.

To the Houston Police Department, thank you.

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Six DWI arrests in region

MORNING UPDATE -- Six DWI arrests in region

Local police made six driving while intoxicated arrests between Friday night and early Sunday, including three arrests by Glens Falls Police in a half-hour early Sunday.

At 3:58 a.m. Sunday, Glens Falls Police Officer Brian Lashway arrested Shannon J. Blanchard, 30, of Fort Ann on a misdemeanor aggravated DWI charge after she was seen speeding and making an improper turn on Washington Street, said Glens Falls Police Sgt. John Winchell. Her blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.18 percent, more than double the 0.08 percent threshold for DWI, police said.

Twenty minutes later, Winchell pulled over Michael R. Degraw, 28, of Gansevoort after Degraw nearly hit Winchell's patrol car pulling out of the Elm Street parking lot, Winchell said. He was found to have a BAC of 0.14 percent and was charged with misdemeanor DWI and ticketed for failure to keep right, Winchell said.

At 4:28 a.m., Glens Falls Police Officer Dan Habshi arrested Nicole J. Lapier, 22, of Moreau after he spotted her driving in the wrong lane on Broad Street, Winchell said. Her BAC was found to be 0.11 percent, and in addition to misdemeanor DWI she was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, police said.

All three were relased pending prosecution in City Court.

According to the State Police public information website, state troopers made three DWI arrests in the region late Friday and early Saturday. 

At 9:39 p.m., troopers arrested Vincent H. Bonner, 47, of Moreau after stopping him on Fortsville Road in Moreau. He was charged with misdemeanor DWI and released.

Troopers arrested Gregory L. Thomas, 52, of Stony Creek after pulling him over on Harrisburg Road at 9:45 p.m. Friday. In addition to misdemeanor DWI, he was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

At 1:45 a.m. Saturday, John R. McClure, 28, of Granville was arrested following a traffic stop on Route 22 in Granville. He was charged with misdemeanor counts of DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and ticketed for not wearing a seat belt, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle and unsafe movement of a stopped vehicle.

All three were released pending prosecution in court.

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Shirley man rented car so he could drive drunk

Cops: Shirley man rented car so he could drive drunk

A Shirley man who crashed a car into a Brentwood telephone pole was charged with drunken driving yesterday morning after police say he rented the car to avoid the court-mandated breath analyzer system in his own vehicle.

Marvin Rice Jr., 27, of 114 Forrest Ave., was driving north on Wicks Road in Brentwood at 5:52 a.m. when he lost control of the rented vehicle and crashed into a pole at Crooked Hill Road, Suffolk police said. 

Rice, who according to court records was convicted in 2005 of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, agreed to participate in the ignition interlock device program, police said. 

The program requires drivers to submit to a breath test before the vehicle can be started.

The 2007 Volkswagen Jetta that Rice rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car was not equipped with the ignition interlock device, said Suffolk police Sgt. Kevin Beyrer. 

Rice was transported by Suffolk police helicopter to Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he was admitted with multiple injuries, police said. No one else was injured. 

Rice was charged with driving while intoxicated. His prior convictions include endangering the welfare of a child in 2007 and driving without a license in 2005.

A Shirley man who crashed a car into a Brentwood telephone pole was charged with drunken driving yesterday morning after police say he rented the car to avoid the court-mandated breath analyzer system in his own vehicle.

Marvin Rice Jr., 27, of 114 Forrest Ave., was driving north on Wicks Road in Brentwood at 5:52 a.m. when he lost control of the rented vehicle and crashed into a pole at Crooked Hill Road, Suffolk police said. 

Rice, who according to court records was convicted in 2005 of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, agreed to participate in the ignition interlock device program, police said. 

The program requires drivers to submit to a breath test before the vehicle can be started.

The 2007 Volkswagen Jetta that Rice rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car was not equipped with the ignition interlock device, said Suffolk police Sgt. Kevin Beyrer. 

Rice was transported by Suffolk police helicopter to Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he was admitted with multiple injuries, police said. No one else was injured. 

Rice was charged with driving while intoxicated. His prior convictions include endangering the welfare of a child in 2007 and driving without a license in 2005.

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