Jakarta - The former editor in chief of Playboy Indonesia on Monday missed a deadline to begin serving his two-year jail sentence for indecency, vowing instead to challenge his conviction.
“Erwin Arnada is still shocked by the media reports labeling him as a fugitive,” Ina Rahman, his lawyer, said on Monday. “He is not ready [to be incarcerated] and plans to request a case review.”
Erwin was acquitted of charges of indecency by the South Jakarta District Court in April 2007, but prosecutors said the Supreme Court had overturned the ruling on appeal in July 2009.
However, confusion still surrounds the verdict, which was only delivered to the prosecutors’ office last week. The Supreme Court’s Web site also attached a note to the case that read: “Prosecution rejected.”
The court’s spokesman, Andri Tristianto Sutrisna, confirmed the note to reporters on Thursday, but could not clarify whether it meant Erwin’s 2007 acquittal had ultimately been upheld.
Erwin, who was ordered to appear at 10 a.m. at the prosecutors’ office to begin serving his sentence, has not been seen in days.
“He told me over the phone two days ago that he couldn’t fulfill Monday’s summons,” Ina said. “I don’t know where he is now, but I don’t believe he will flee. He needs to meet me to sign a letter reappointing me as his attorney.”
Meanwhile, South Jakarta chief prosecutor Yusuf said Erwin’s planned case review would not delay his incarceration.
“He must still be imprisoned, even if the case review is pending, according to the criminal procedures code,” Yusuf said. “This is the first summons that he’s ignored. If he does it three times, we can declare him a fugitive.”
He added that his office was preparing a second summons, and would move to arrest him if he failed to honor a third.
Ina hinted that the first summons, sent to Erwin’s last known address in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, might not have reached him because the house had long ago been demolished to make way for a new building.
“Hopefully he’ll comply with the second summons,” she said.
On Thursday, Erwin wrote on his account on micro-blogging site Twitter that criminalization of the press was a threat to both the media and public. “What Playboy [sold was] quality. Not pornographic pictures.”
The Indonesian edition of Playboy magazine, which came out in April 2006, contained no nudity and was considered tame compared to other magazines still being sold legally in the country, where illicit pornography can also be easily obtained.
