Adiguna Sutowo trial will continue<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A week after suffering an asthma attack that caused him
\nto miss a court hearing, a visibly weak Adiguna Sutowo sat
\nlistlessly at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday as
\nthe panel of judges ordered that his murder trial continue.<\/p>\n
In a previous hearing, a 10-strong defense team for Adiguna, a
\nwealthy 46-year-old businessman, had argued that the proceedings
\nshould be halted because contradictory statements had been given
\nby witnesses.<\/p>\n
However, the judges, comprising Lilik Mulyadi, Agus Subroto
\nand Mulyani, decided that it should be left to the court to
\ndetermine the credibility of the witnesses on their recollections
\nof the New Year's Day incident, which culminated in the murder of
\n25-year-old college student Yohanes "Rudy" Brachmans Hairudy
\nNatong.<\/p>\n
"The truth should be determined from examining witnesses'
\nstatements," said presiding judge Lilik Mulyadi, reading the
\ncourt's interim decision. "Therefore, the trial will continue."<\/p>\n
In their motion to halt the proceedings, the defense, led by
\nMohammad Assegaf, had also requested that the court declare the
\nprosecution's charges to be "obscure" and "misleading" because
\nthe prosecution's version of events did not match with the police
\ninvestigation report's version.<\/p>\n
However, the judges, who unanimously agreed to reject the
\nmotion, declared that in the legal sense, "the prosecution's
\ncharges are precise, clear and complete".<\/p>\n
The judges did side with the defense on a couple of points:
\nthat Adiguna should receive a fair trial and that the judges
\nwould not be affected by intense media coverage.<\/p>\n
The next hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday, with the six-
\nteam prosecution, led by Andi Herman, calling its first five
\nwitnesses. Prosecutors plan to call a total of 19 witnesses to
\ntestify in court.<\/p>\n
Adiguna, who is back in detention after a one-week stay in a
\nRp 1.5 million per night presidential suite of Pertamina Hospital
\nin South Jakarta, has been charged with the murder of Rudy, who
\nwas working as a part-time waiter at the Fluid Club in the Hilton
\nHotel in Central Jakarta, over a declined debit card payment for
\na Rp 150,000 (US$16) bar bill for a martini and a vodka tonic.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege that at about 5 a.m. on New Year's Day,
\nAdiguna, the youngest son of the late Ibnu Sutowo, who was a
\nfounder of state oil and gas firm Pertamina, used an illegally
\nobtained gun to fire a mortal shot at Rudy from a distance of
\nhalf a meter at the hotel club. The hotel is owned by the Sutowo
\nfamily.<\/p>\n
Adiguna, the sole suspect in the murder of Rudy, who would
\nhave been the first in his family to obtain a college degree, has
\nbeen charged with unpremeditated murder, punishable by a maximum
\njail sentence of 15 years, and with the illegal possession of a
\nfirearm, which carries a maximum life sentence.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/adiguna-sutowo-trial-will-continue-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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