Prosecutors demand death sentence for Ali Ghufron<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
In wrapping up its case on Monday, the prosecution demanded the
\ndeath sentence for Bali bombing suspect Ali Ghufron alias
\nMukhlas, making him the third man to date who may end up in front
\nof a firing squad.<\/p>\n
Chief prosecutor Putu Indriati told the court that Mukhlas,
\nallegedly a Southeast Asia regional leader of the Jamaah
\nIslamiyah (JI) terrorist network, had been proved guilty beyond
\nall reasonable doubt of conspiring to cause the Oct. 12, 2002,
\nattack, which killed 202 people and injured over 300 others.<\/p>\n
"He (Mukhlas) was the planner because he prepared the funds to
\nfinance and the human resources to execute the attacks," Indriati
\nsaid while reading out the 275-page sentence demand.<\/p>\n
The prosecution also sought the death sentence for Abdul Aziz
\nalias Imam Samudra, the alleged field commander for the attack.
\nMeanwhile, Amrozi, the first of the bombers to be convicted, has
\nalready been sentenced to death by the Denpasar District Court.<\/p>\n
In the attacks, the perpetrators detonated two powerful bombs,
\nincluding a 1,025-kilogram car bomb, which ripped through the
\nSari Club and Paddy's Cafe in the popular resort area of Kuta,
\nand a smaller bomb near the U.S. consular agency office in the
\nRenon area of the provincial capital, Denpasar.<\/p>\n
Indriati stressed that Mukhlas had received a total of US$
\n30,500 from Wan Min bin Wan Mat, a Malaysian national now under
\npolice custody in Kuala Lumpur. The money reportedly came from
\nHambali, the JI leader currently detained by the U.S. government
\nat an undisclosed location after having been hunted for years.<\/p>\n
The prosecution said Mukhlas later distributed the money to
\nhis younger brother Amrozi and his accomplices Idris and Abdul
\nGhoni. Afterwards, these men used the money to finance the
\nplanning and execution of the Bali bombings.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Indriati added, Mukhlas also encouraged several
\nother people to participate in the bomb attacks.<\/p>\n
"He persuaded two people, Jimmy alias Arnasan and Ferry alias
\nIsa, to act as suicide bombers in the Sari Club and Paddy's
\nCafe," she said.<\/p>\n
It was Mukhlas who told his younger brother Ali Imron to plant
\na five-kilogram bomb near the U.S. consular office, and later to
\ndrive the van containing a bomb close to the detonation point in
\nfront of the Sari Club, the prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
The prosecutors also said that Mukhlas had been proven guilty
\nof illegally possessing and carrying a firearm, an offense which
\naccording to the Emergency Law of 1951, which is still in effect,
\ncarries a maximum penalty of death.<\/p>\n
Police seized an FN pistol, eight bullets and Rp 5.97 million
\nin cash when they arrested Mukhlas on Dec. 3, 2002.<\/p>\n
"We do not find any mitigating factors as the defendant has
\nnot been cooperative with this court. Nor has he showed any
\nremorse for his actions," Indriati said.<\/p>\n
Responding to the sentence demand, Mukhlas smiled before
\ncalmly clenching both his fists and placing them in front of his
\nchest. He apparently was praying.<\/p>\n
So far, prosecutors have presented their sentence demands for
\n15 out of the 29 persons standing trial for the bombings. Twelve
\ndefendants are facing jail sentences of between eight and 20
\nyears.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/prosecutors-demand-death-sentence-for-ali-ghufron-1447893297",
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