Elza could face seven years behind bars<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Elza Syarief, one of the lawyers who defended flamboyant convict
\nHutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former
\npresident Soeharto, may face a seven-year prison sentence over
\nalleged false statements made under oath, and bribery.<\/p>\n
"We have completed the dossiers. We shall submit the dossiers,
\nas well the suspect, to the Jakarta Prosecutors Office soon. If
\nconvicted, she could face a maximum sentence of seven years in
\njail," Comr. Sutarjo, deputy head of city police corruption
\ndetectives told The Jakarta Post and Sinar Harapan on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Sutarjo said Elza was charged with bribing Ahmad Hidayat and
\nTatang Somantri, security guards at the Cemara Apartment in
\nMenteng, Central Jakarta, to lie.<\/p>\n
The guards had become witnesses in the investigation into
\nillegal possession of firearms and ammunition at the apartment,
\nwhich implicated Tommy.<\/p>\n
Sutarjo said Elza was charged under Article 242 of the
\nCriminal Code on false statements, which carried a maximum seven-
\nyear jail sentence.<\/p>\n
In addition, Elza was also charged, under Article 55 of the
\ncode, with assisting in the commission of a crime as well as
\nArticle 2 of Law No. 11\/1980 on bribery, which carries a maximum
\nfive-year prison sentence, Sutarjo added.<\/p>\n
Elza is one of Tommy's lawyers who defended him over several
\ncriminal charges, including arranging the murder of Supreme Court
\nJustice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, illegal possession of
\nfirearms and ammunition, and flight from the law.<\/p>\n
Tommy was convicted and given a 15-year jail sentence. He
\ncommenced his prison sentence at Cipinang Penitentiary, East
\nJakarta, and was later transferred to Nusakambangan Penitentiary,
\nCentral Java.<\/p>\n
The police detained Elza for a month as a bribery suspect from
\nMay 6 to June 6 last year. She was subsequently released
\nfollowing a request for a delay in her detention.<\/p>\n
In May last year, before an ethics committee of lawyers, Elza
\nadmitted that she had given Rp 5.8 million (US$647) to two
\nwitnesses in her client's case to withdraw their statements made
\nearlier to the city police. In addition, Elza also acknowledged
\nbefore the hearing that she had given cash to other witnesses,
\nincluding Cemara Apartment staff Marvin Hukom and Beni M. Robani.<\/p>\n
Both Rahmat and Tatang told the police earlier that Elza gave
\nthem Rp 2 million before they testified in court on April 10 last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
In return, they denied that signatures on police statements
\nwere theirs. They also told the Central Jakarta District Court
\nthat the police had tortured them during questioning.<\/p>\n
Several witnesses confirmed that Elza had asked for Rp 5.8
\nmillion from the Bakti Putra Bangsa Foundation, which manages the
\napartment, where the police found ammunition and firearms
\nreportedly belonging to Tommy.<\/p>\n
Tommy chaired the foundation before relinquishing the post in
\nfavor of his wife, Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani, in January
\n2001.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/elza-could-face-seven-years-behind-bars-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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