Witness At Tangerang Prison Trial That Caught Fire, Said The Electricity Network Had Not Been Replaced Since 4 Years Ago

The atmosphere at the Tangerang Class I prison was on fire, the practice of buying and selling detention rooms was revealed/ Photo: Jehan/ VOI

TANGERANG - In the follow-up trial of the Tangerang Class IA prison fire case, a witness named Suhendra who was presented by the Public Prosecutor (JPU), stated that the electricity network in the prison had not been replaced for four years.

Apart from Suhendra, other inmates who also testified were Yudi and Ryan Santoso. The three, including Suhendra, testified virtually from Tangerang Class I Prison, Tuesday, February 8.

When the panel of judges asked whether the electricity network in Block C was classified as having an old age, Suhendra confirmed this.

"You see, the electricity grid in Block C is old?" asked the judge to Suhendra. "It's been a long time," replied Suhendra.

The judge then asked if the Block C electricity network was ever replaced when Suhendra was imprisoned for four years in Tangerang Class I Prison.

"Four years there, change the grid?" The prosecutor asked again.

"Not yet," replied Suhendra.

In his testimony, Suhendra added, the miniature circuit breaker (MCB) in Block C2 often suddenly went down in August 2021 or one month before the block caught fire.

"It could be 2-3 times (MCB down)," said Suhendra.

Suhendra suspects that the MCB there often goes down due to excess power. The judge then asked if Block C2 contained a lot of electronics. Suhendra confirmed it.

"Can inmates pull cables for electronics?" asked the judge.

"At least we should report to tamping," replied Suhendra.

"Any permission from prison officials?" The judge asked again.

"I don't know about permission," Suhendra replied.

The trial of the prison fire case that was held today is the second trial. The four defendants were present at this trial.

The four of them are Suparto, Rusmanto, Yoga Wido Nugroho, and Panahatan Butar Butar. They are Tangerang Class I prison officers.

The first trial was held on January 25, 2022, with the agenda for reading the indictment.