Law enforcers come under fire over fugitive Tommy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police and state prosecutors came under fire on
\nFriday for failing to arrest Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra who has
\nbeen convicted in a Rp 76.7 billion corruption case.<\/p>\n
The so far unsuccessful hunt for the youngest son of former
\npresident Soeharto, who has been declared a fugitive, prompted
\nhuman rights activist Frans Hendra Winata to question the
\nauthorities' ability in dealing with the high-profile case.<\/p>\n
"What have the Attorney General's Office and the National
\nPolice done in searching for Tommy? I'm skeptical that the police
\nand government prosecutors are not aware of the possible places
\nin the country Tommy may be hiding," he said in a discussion
\norganized by RCTI TV station here on Friday.<\/p>\n
Frans, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights,
\nsaid he suspected a plot between Tommy and his lawyers so that
\nthe authorities could not put him in jail.<\/p>\n
"It's strange that although Tommy's lawyers have had several
\nphone contacts with their client, they do not know of his
\nwhereabouts. They are also busy defending the innocence of their
\nclient," he said.<\/p>\n
He also regretted President Abdurrahman Wahid's secret meeting
\nwith Tommy because besides raising public speculation, the
\nmeeting was not justifiable or ethical.<\/p>\n
Frans said that despite Tommy's escape, the authorities must
\nexecute the Supreme Court's decision to ensure the certainty of
\nlaw in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"This means Tommy must be arrested as soon as possible," he
\nsaid, adding it would be better for Tommy to give up and serve
\nhis jail term.<\/p>\n
Nudirman Munir, Tommy's lawyer, said in the discussion that
\nhis client was at large today because he felt he was innocent and
\nthat the authorities discriminated against him in handling the
\ncorruption case.<\/p>\n
"I can prove that my client is not guilty of the charges and
\nthat the authorities had discriminated against him," he said.<\/p>\n
He said 25 witnesses testified that the government had
\nsuffered no material losses, meaning the corruption charges were
\nbaseless.<\/p>\n
"What we regret is that the panel of judges ignored the 25
\nwitnesses' testimonies and accepted the testimonies of two expert
\nwitnesses who insisted the government had suffered Rp 90 billion
\nin material losses in the land swap deal," he said, citing that
\nthe 25 witnesses gave their testimonies under oath while the two
\nexperts gave only their opinions.<\/p>\n
He said authorities were also discriminative because the
\npresident's rejection of his client's request for a pardon was
\nissued in less than a month, whereas normally a head of state
\nwould take longer before deciding on such an appeal.<\/p>\n
Loebby Loqman, a professor of law at the University of
\nIndonesia, questioned Tommy's motive in seeking a pardon from the
\nhead of state if he had felt he was innocent, saying Tommy should
\nhave first appealed to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
"Such a thing is not normal in the judiciary system. Tommy has
\nactually lost the case and that is why he has cried out that
\nthere is no justice in Indonesia," he said.<\/p>\n
The National Awakening Party (PKB) faction at the House of
\nRepresentatives called on the police and the Attorney General's
\nOffice to arrest Tommy to ensure the supremacy of law.<\/p>\n
"The police and government prosecutors should work harder in
\nfinding Tommy. They will come under fire if they fail to execute
\nthe court's decision on Tommy," Taufikkurrahman Saleh, chairman
\nof the faction said.(01\/rms\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/law-enforcers-come-under-fire-over-fugitive-tommy-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}