Adiguna's sentence condemned

Adiguna's sentence condemned

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Prosecutors have filed an appeal with the Jakarta High Court
against the seven-year prison sentence handed down by the Central
Jakarta District Court to Adiguna Sutowo, who has been convicted
of murdering Johannes "Rudy" Berchmans Haerudy Natong.

Prosecutor Andi Herman of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office said
on Tuesday that the appeal was filed on Monday because the
prosecution felt that Adiguna's sentence was too lenient
considering they had demanded a life sentence.

"We demanded a life sentence but they only gave him seven
years. The verdict is too light and does not meet the public's
sense of justice. So we filed an appeal," Andi told The Jakarta
Post.

Adiguna, the lone suspect in the fatal shooting of Rudy at
point blank range at the Hilton hotel on Jan. 1, was charged with
murder and illegal possession of a weapon, with maximum sentences
of 20 years and death sentence respectively.

A panel of three judges found Adiguna guilty on all counts,
but sentenced him only to seven years.

The judges argued that the Central Jakarta District Court had
never sentenced a murderer to more than 20 years. They cited
several cases in which defendants had been tried and convicted
for either murder or illegal possession of firearms since 2002,
including the cases of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who was
sentenced to 15 years for masterminding the murder of a Supreme
Court judge, and Tommy's nephew Ari Sigit, who got only one year
for illegal possession of a gun.

They also said they took into consideration that Adiguna had
been "tried and condemned by the media" as well as a letter from
the victim's family suggesting that the defendant be shown
leniency.

Observers and experts, however, criticized the considerations,
saying that the light sentence would not deter people like the
businessman from committing similar crimes.

They also pointed out that Adiguna, a son of former Pertamina
president director Ibnu Sutowo and brother of successful
businessman Ponco Sutowo, was a public figure, and as such should
be heavily punished to prove that no one was above the law.

During the leadership of former strongman Soeharto, well-
connected people were often beyond the reach of the law,
triggering long legal uncertainty that the current administration
of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is struggling to overcome.

Attorney General's Office spokesman RJ Soehandojo said on
Tuesday that Adiguna's seven-year sentence was considered a
defeat for state prosecutors.

"We must appeal because though we asked for a life sentence,
we got seven. We instructed the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office to
file an appeal right after we heard the sentence," he told the
Post.

Asked about the possibility of Adiguna getting a lighter
sentence in the high court, Soehandojo said that prosecutors
would appeal to the Supreme Court if that happened.

"We will immediately file an appeal with the Supreme Court if
that happens. I believe justice will eventually be done," he
said.