Jakarta. A key witness in the alleged murders of Vina Dewi Arsita and her boyfriend Muhammad Rizky Rudiana, alias Eky, eight years ago has sent a signed and stamped letter to the National Police admitting that he had lied to investigators, a prominent politician said on Tuesday.

This latest development could further raise doubts that the teenage couple was murdered by members of a motorcycle gang as mentioned in the police investigation and court documents.

During the police investigation in 2016, Dede Riswanto told police that he saw a group of young men chasing the couple with stones and bamboo sticks on the night before Vina and Eky were found dead. He has also identified the individuals by name and mentioned the brands of motorcycles carrying the said gang members.

Now, Dede said his police statements were invented on the order of police officer Rudiana, who is the father of Eky.

"The letter retracts the previous testimonies and confirms that the entire testimonies are false," said former Purwakarta Regent Dedi Mulyadi, who earlier posted videos of his interview with Dede on YouTube. 

Dede’s testimonies have resulted in the convictions of eight suspects, with seven serving life imprisonment.

Lawyers for the convicts argued that the teenage couple might have died in a motorcycle accident in Cirebon, West Java, based on a preliminary investigation by the traffic police.

Also on Tuesday, the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) held a hearing with the attorneys of the convicts and those of Dede discussing a possible miscarriage of justice.

Brigadier General Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro, a director with the Bareskrim, said police must first prove that Dede had committed perjury before further actions can be taken. He didn’t go into details.

Roely Panggabean, an attorney for the convicts, said new evidence about the alleged fabrication of the murder case was presented during the hearing with Bareskrim but he too declined to elaborate.

Vina and Eky, both 16 years old, were found dead on an elevated road in Cirebon on August 28, 2016. 

The case resurfaced after all eight convicts recently retracted their confessions, claiming they were made under duress and alleging that Officer Rudiana had tortured them during the interrogation. 

On YouTube videos posted by Dedi last weekend, Dede admitted to perjury and apologized to all the convicts.

Rudiana vehemently denied the allegations and urged Dede, Dedi, and another witness named Liga Akbar to make a public apology or face a lawsuit for slander and defamation.

Rudiana was a low-ranking officer assigned to the narcotics unit of the Cirebon police when his son died.

As the case resurfaced, he came under public scrutiny for overstepping his authority by getting involved in the homicide unit and causing bias in the police investigation into his son and Vina’s deaths.

Recent remarks from key witnesses led to public opinion that a policeman angered by his son’s death had forced eight innocent people to serve lengthy prison sentences.

The seven convicts serving life imprisonment include Jaya, 23; Supriyanto, 20; Eka Sandi, 24; Hadi Saputra, 23; Eko Ramadani, 27; Sudirman, 21; and Rivaldi Aditya Wardana, 21. Another convict, Saka Tatal, has been released from prison for good behavior after serving half of his eight-year sentence.

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