No presidential decree, no Tommy, lawyer says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto's son Hutomo \"Tommy\"
\nMandala Putra will not present himself to authorities until he
\nreceives a presidential decree rejecting his plea for a pardon,
\none of Tommy's lawyers said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"There is no way I'll surrender my client to the South Jakarta
\nProsecutor's Office before the Office hands him the presidential
\ndecree and an official summons demanding that he show up at the
\nOffice for the related matter,\" Nudirman told The Jakarta Post
\nover the phone.<\/p>\n
\"Prosecutors must learn to put legal procedures into
\npractice... They must hand over the decree and a summons to my
\nclient, so that prosecutors can execute the Supreme Court's
\nverdict accordingly.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Chief of the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office
\nAntasari Azhar said on Sunday that he did not want to \"deal with\"
\nNudirman.<\/p>\n
\"I'd rather deal with Tommy's other lawyers (Erman Umar or
\nL.L.M. Samosir). I have sent the summons on the decree, dated
\nNov. 2 this year, to Tommy's residence. I have it filed with me.
\nI don't understand what Nudirman is talking about,\" Antasari told
\nthe Post.<\/p>\n
He added that Monday was the deadline for the execution of the
\nSupreme Court's verdict, which orders Tommy to serve an 18-month
\nprison sentence and requires him to repay some Rp 30.7 billion
\n(US$3.3 million) in state losses, plus a Rp 10 million fine.<\/p>\n
\"After Monday, a police manhunt will be initiated to get him,\"
\nAntasari said.<\/p>\n
The defendant disappeared on Friday from his Menteng
\nresidence, one place that has not been searched by the police.<\/p>\n
When asked whether Tommy was still visiting his mother's grave
\nin Surakarta or was already back in the capital, Nudirman said:
\n\"No, no. He is back in Jakarta. I just had a long conversation
\nwith him, right before your call.\"<\/p>\n
Earlier, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said that a police
\nmanhunt would be executed to track down the fugitive but only if
\nhe fails to show up on Monday.<\/p>\n
Nudirman added that it was illegal for prosecutors to have
\nlabeled the defendant as being on the run, as the defendant had
\nyet to receive the presidential decree.<\/p>\n
Antasari's threat to jail Tommy by force should he fail to
\npresent himself to authorities on Monday is the second of its
\nkind. The first threat proved empty when Tommy was declared
\n\"lost\" by prosecutors on Friday, after he successfully evaded
\nreceiving the presidential decree rejecting his plea for a
\npardon.<\/p>\n
Marzuki, however, said that he believed Tommy had not fled the
\ncountry and would meet the deadline on Monday.<\/p>\n
Nudirman, who had gone to Tommy's residence on Jl. Rasamala
\nIII\/24 in Central Jakarta, also denied knowing of Tommy's
\nwhereabouts.<\/p>\n
Unlike Tommy, his business associate Ricardo Gelael presented
\nhimself to the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office on Friday
\nevening and was brought to the Cipinang penitentiary in East
\nJakarta at 9:05 p.m.<\/p>\n
President Abdurrahman Wahid had refused on Thursday to pardon
\nTommy and Ricardo, both major shareholders of wholesaler PT Goro
\nBatara Sakti, who were found guilty of causing Rp 76.7 billion in
\nlosses to the state.<\/p>\n
The President issued a decree rejecting the appeal and
\nordered Tommy to serve the 18-month sentence handed down by the
\nSupreme Court. (ylt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-presidential-decree-no-tommy-lawyer-says-1447893297",
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