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.