Tommy still not imprisoned<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Efforts to send former president Soeharto's son
\nHutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra to jail turned out to be a farce on
\nMonday as he managed to evade a second attempt over claims that
\nhe had not received a legalized copy of the presidential decree
\nrejecting his plea for a pardon.<\/p>\n
As of midnight, the deadline for him to surrender, Tommy
\nremained at large. Dozens of local and foreign journalists were
\nstill waiting for his appearance at the Cipinang prison in East
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Even as prosecutors stated that Tommy's lawyers had received
\nthe legalized photocopy of the decree on Monday morning, lawyers
\nNudirman Munir and Erman Umar had yet to decide whether to agree
\nor disagree on the acceptance of the copy.<\/p>\n
Erman told The Jakarta Post that lawyers had urged Tommy to
\nfulfill the prosecutor's summons and surrender himself on Monday
\nor at the latest by early Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"We now have the copy of the decree, and we have asked Tommy,
\nvia Nudirman, to surrender himself to prosecutors, with a big
\nheart, before the deadline expires on Monday midnight,\" Erman
\nsaid on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
However, Nudirman insisted that they had yet to receive the
\nlegalized copy.<\/p>\n
\"No, no. Who told you we received the copy, and that I advised
\nTommy to surrender?\" Nudirman asked the Post.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
\nMahendra lashed out at the actions of Tommy's lawyers, whom he
\naccused of trying to obstruct the course of justice.<\/p>\n
\"It is a known fact that President (Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur'
\nWahid) has issued a decree rejecting Tommy's plea for a pardon.
\nTommy's lawyers are making up things to stop their client from
\nbeing jailed,\" Yusril told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n
\"I mean, it's a fact that Gus Dur's our president. Must we
\nshow proof of this?\"<\/p>\n
South Jakarta District Court deputy chief, Soemarno, confirmed
\nthat Tommy's lawyer, L.L.M. Samosir, had personally received the
\ncopy of the decree.<\/p>\n
\"Samosir has received the copy certified by the district
\ncourt. We delegated the Central Jakarta District Court to hand it
\nover to the lawyers,\" Soemarno said in a televised SCTV talk show
\non Monday evening.<\/p>\n
Clerks of the Central Jakarta District Court had, since Friday
\nafternoon, tried to hand the documents to the criminal at the
\nlatter's residence, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
Chief of the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office Antasari Azhar
\nhinted on Monday of the possibility of taking legal action
\nagainst Tommy's lawyers for obstructing justice.<\/p>\n
\"We'll deal with that after we get hold of Tommy. After Monday
\nmidnight, we'll take forcible action against Tommy. What kind of
\naction... you'll see then,\" Antasari said.<\/p>\n
When reporters asked him if he knew of Tommy's current
\nwhereabouts, Antasari remained silent.<\/p>\n
National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro told reporters on
\nMonday that once he received the order from the prosecutors, a
\npolice manhunt would be set out for Tommy.<\/p>\n
\"We'll search for him and arrest him wherever he is, once we
\nget the order,\" Bimantoro said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, House Speaker Akbar Tanjung laid the blame on the
\nSouth Jakarta Prosecutor's Office for being totally unprepared
\nwith the paperwork in regard to Tommy's arrest.<\/p>\n
\"The Office was lacking in preparations for the arrest. The
\nChief of the Office (Antasari) does not seem to be serious about
\nthis arrest,\" Akbar told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n
Akbar also warned the government of the people's wrath should
\nTommy manage to escape the country.<\/p>\n
He called on Tommy to surrender himself to the authorities,
\nsaying that it was the best choice left for him.<\/p>\n
\"His refusal to come forward will give people a negative
\nimpression of him and his family,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
He added however, that he believed Tommy was not really
\nattempting to escape or hide from the law.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure he (Tommy) will obey the prosecutor's summons
\nbecause he knows it's best for him,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Nudirman said that without a search warrant no police
\nofficer could search Tommy's residence on Jl. Rasamala III\/24 in
\nCentral Jakarta for the fugitive, which is the reason why police
\nofficers have been unable to enter the premises so far.<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf said on Monday
\nthat police had yet to receive an order from prosecutors to
\narrest Tommy, even as an arrest warrant had apparently been
\nissued on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"We have not received the order or the warrant to arrest
\nTommy. We have to wait until Monday midnight,\" Saleh said.<\/p>\n
Antasari had said that Monday was the deadline for the
\nexecution of the Supreme Court's verdict, which ordered Tommy to
\nserve an 18-month prison sentence and requires him to repay some
\nRp 30.7 billion (US$3.3 million) in state losses, plus a Rp 10
\nmillion 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
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 refused last 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 ordered
\nTommy to serve the 18-month sentence handed down by the Supreme
\nCourt. (44\/45\/bby\/ylt)<\/p>",
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