Court sentences bomb owner to 10 years in jail<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): East Jakarta District Court sentenced Elize
\nMaria Tuwahatu to 10 years in jail on Monday for the illegal
\npossession of bombs, which she once claimed to have received from
\nformer president Soeharto's fugitive son Hutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala
\nPutera.<\/p>\n
Presiding Judge Suhartono said in the verdict that Elize, 33,
\nwas found guilty of owning explosives without a permit from the
\nconcerned authorities.<\/p>\n
The defendant was guilty of violating the 1951 Emergency Law
\non the illegal possession of explosives.<\/p>\n
\"The crime committed by Elize provoked public unrest,\" said
\nthe judge.<\/p>\n
The sentence was five years lighter than the 15-year term
\ndemanded by public prosecutor Surung Aritonang.<\/p>\n
Police arrested Elize on Jan. 19 when she was caught red-
\nhanded carrying three bombs at the Indonesian Miniature Park
\n(TMII) recreation park.<\/p>\n
Elize initially claimed she received the bombs from Tommy, who
\nasked her to plant them in several places such as the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The
\nwoman, who lives on Jl. Suwiryo in Menteng, just a few hundred
\nmeters from the houses of former president Soeharto and Tommy
\nrespectively, also said she had received Rp 75 million in checks
\nfrom Tommy.<\/p>\n
Elize, however, later retracted her statement, saying she was
\ngiven the bombs by a man who looked like Tommy. Before her arrest
\nshe reportedly used to describe herself, a Christian, as the
\nspiritual advisor of Tommy, who is a Muslim.<\/p>\n
\"We are still considering whether to accept or to appeal to a
\nhigher court,\" her defense lawyer Masiga Bugis responded, when
\nasked by the judge about his client's reaction to the punishment.<\/p>\n
Tommy has been at large since November when he escaped after
\nSouth Jakarta District Court sentenced him to an 18-month jail
\nterm for corruption in a land exchange deal with the State
\nLogistics Agency (Bulog).<\/p>\n
There is speculation that last Friday's killing of Supreme
\nCourt Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, who sentenced Tommy to
\njail for graft, was also linked with Tommy, an allegation flatly
\ndenied by his lawyers.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Elza Syarif told Antara on Tuesday that media reports
\non the murder could be disadvantageous for his client, Tommy,
\nwhose case is being studied by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
He was referring to Tommy's request to the court to review a
\nland scam that had brought him to trial.<\/p>\n
Soon after the decision was made, Tommy escaped. Strangely
\nenough, while he was on the run, his lawyer filed a request with
\nthe Supreme Court to review the case, a move that has sparked
\ncontroversy among legal experts. (prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/court-sentences-bomb-owner-to-10-years-in-jail-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}