Adiguna 'too sick' to stand trial

Adiguna 'too sick' to stand trial

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Businessman Adiguna Sutowo, 46, may be absent from his own murder
trial, with his doctors claiming he was too frail to attend
Thursday's hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court.

An internist at the Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta, Adji
Suprayitno, who has been treating Adiguna for asthma since Monday
evening, told the court that his patient's condition "had
improved, but was unstable".

"When he came in, he was experiencing difficulty in breathing
and couldn't perform even the lightest physical activity," said
Adji, adding that Adiguna was being given medication
intravenously. "Now, with the assistance of his family members,
he can walk slowly."

Adji told the three-strong panel of judges that based on a
physical examination, laboratory tests and x-rays, doctors had
diagnosed Adiguna as having an "infection-triggered asthma",
causing his airways to become inflamed and narrow.

"He still needs treatment," Adji said, adding that Adiguna has
a history of asthma.

Presiding judge Lilik Mulyadi and panel members Agus Subroto
and Mulyani decided to allow Adiguna to be hospitalized.

However, they instructed prosecutors to bring the defendant
into court on Tuesday "no matter what his condition is," to hear
the court's decision on whether to proceed the trial, which was
initially scheduled for Thursday.

After the session, a lawyer from Adiguna's 10-member defense
team, Mohammad Shalahuddin, said that the judges' decision was
harsh, in light of the fact that the defense and prosecutors had
agreed to hear the decision with or without Adiguna's presence.

"The defense wants a speedy trial too," said Shalahuddin,
stressing that Adiguna was "really ill".

After the trial, Lilik Mulyadi said that the decision to force
Adiguna to attend on Tuesday was made so that the public would
not become cynical towards the proceedings.

"Our decision is final. We don't want the public to feel that
justice is not being served," said Lilik.

Hendrik Jehaman, a lawyer representing the family of the
victim, 25-year-old college student Yohannes "Rudy" Berchmans
Haerudy Natong, said that the decision was fair, but expressed
suspicion as to why Adiguna was being treated at Pertamina
Hospital.

"Everyone knows that the hospital was built by his family,"
said Hendrik.

Adiguna is the youngest son of Ibnu Sutowo, who was for 19
years head of state-run oil and gas company Pertamina and was a
close friend of former president Soeharto.

Adiguna is being treated at the hospital's presidential suite,
priced at Rp 1.5 million per day.

Prosecutors allege that Adiguna murdered Rudy, a trainee
waiter at the Fluid Club in Central Jakarta, after being told
that he could not use his debit card to settle a Rp 150,000 bar
bill on New Year's day.

Prosecutors say that Adiguna used an unlicensed gun to shoot
Rudy in the head at close range at the club located in the five-
star Hilton Hotel, whose major shareholder is Adiguna's brother,
Ponco Sutowo.

Possession of an illegal firearm is punishable by a life
sentence, while an act of malicious, but not premeditated murder
carries a maximum jail sentence of 15 years.