Iranian involved in court debate<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An Iranian on trial here for allegedly
\npossessing 155 heroin pills, was involved in a lengthy debate
\nwith the judge and a security guard when he denied the charges
\nagainst him.<\/p>\n
Mehdi Jarari, a 28-year-old businessman from Tehran, told the
\nCentral Jakarta district court the heroin did not belong to him
\nbut to his Austrian friend.<\/p>\n
The security guard said it was not true.<\/p>\n
Army captain Yohannes GP, who worked as a security guard at
\nHotel Mini in Central Jakarta, said he found heroin in a plastic
\nbag in the defendant's hotel room in November.<\/p>\n
He said that at the time Mehdi told him some of the drugs were
\nhis but the rest belonged to a friend.<\/p>\n
Yohannes said he had repeatedly asked Mehdi questions in
\nIndonesian and the defendant had answered them well.<\/p>\n
But, Mehdi told the court that he had not confessed to owning
\nany of the heroin.<\/p>\n
\"I told the officer they belonged to a friend of mine,
\nMichael, an Austrian,\" said Mehdi.<\/p>\n
He was accompanied an interpreter and testified in English.<\/p>\n
The judge asked him why he told a police interrogator that the
\ndrugs were his.<\/p>\n
Mehdi denied ever saying it.<\/p>\n
When the judge showed him his signature on a statement in a
\npolice dossier, he said it was his signature but insisted he had
\nnever said what was written in the statement.<\/p>\n
Judge Albion Sianipar became angry and told Mehdi he was
\nconfusing the court. He yelled at the defendant \"do you
\nunderstand that a drug case is a serious matter?\"<\/p>\n
The defendant did not react.<\/p>\n
Mehdi is charged under the Law on Narcotics. The maximum
\npenalty is death.<\/p>\n
The judge told the defendant that he had not even clearly
\nanswered questions about who Michael was, where he lived and why
\nhe had entrusted his package of drugs to Mehdi.<\/p>\n
Captain Yohannes said he searched Mehdi's hotel room after the
\ndefendant checked in to the hotel, went out again, and did not
\nshow up again for 24 hours.<\/p>\n
He found 43 pills in a plastic bag in the room. They were
\nlater found to be heroin.<\/p>\n
\"We waited hours for him to come back and when he did he had
\nanother 112 pills,\" Yohannes testified.<\/p>\n
He said he had contacted the city police headquarters, and
\nthey sent officers to arrest the suspect.<\/p>\n
Mehdi said yesterday he had not intended to stay at the hotel.
\n\"I was there to visit my Indonesian girl friend,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In a previous session, a hotel office boy testified that Mehdi
\nwent to the hotel with a local woman and checked in under her
\nname.<\/p>\n
The hearing was adjourned for two weeks. (12)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/iranian-involved-in-court-debate-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }