Agus seeks acquittal in Philippine court
Agus seeks acquittal in Philippine court
Agence France-Presse, Manila
Indonesian militant Agus Dwikarna asked a lower court on Friday
to set aside his 17-year jail sentence for explosives possession,
arguing that Philippines police had fabricated evidence.
Reading a statement at the regional trial court, Agus said: "I
am not a terrorist.
"I know nothing about the Jemaah Islamiyah or al-Qaeda and
their activities," he said, referring to two groups of militants
who police allege were plotting to stage terrorist attacks in
Southeast Asia.
The Indonesian claimed Philippine authorities had set him up
to be arrested for possession of C-4 plastic explosives, which
the authorities said they seized from his baggage at a Manila
airport in March.
The court found him guilty on the explosives charge in July.
Two Indonesians arrested with him, Abdul Jamal Balfas and Tamsil
Linrung, were later released as authorities found they had not
enough evidence to charge them.
A lawyer for Agus pointed out alleged inconsistencies in the
government's case.
Judge Henrick Gingoyon told AFP that government lawyers
swiftly filed a legal comment opposing Agus' motion.
Both defense and prosecution will have 10 days each to submit
additional comments, Gingoyon said, expressing optimism he would
be able to issue a verdict within a month.
During their brief stay in the Philippines, Agus and his
colleagues were alleged to have met with associates of another
Indonesian, Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, who is now serving a 12-year
jail sentence here, also for illegal possession of explosives.
Fathur is an alleged explosives expert of the radical
religious group Jemaah Islamiya, which Asian governments say has
links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. He was arrested in
Manila in January.
Philippine officials allege that Agus had also been implicated
in bombing attacks that claimed over a dozen lives in Manila in
December 2000 and in a bomb attack on the Philippine embassy in
Indonesia in the same year.
Government sources say the Philippines has been under
political pressure to free Agus as religious militants in
Indonesia have voiced protests.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople has suggested the two
countries seal a prisoner-swap accord that would allow Agus to
serve the rest of his sentence in Indonesia.
However Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said a swap can only
take place once the court verdict becomes final.
Agus admitted he was a member of the Lakas Jundullah, an
Indonesian group and was a member of a committee preparing to
impose Islamic law in South Sulawesi but said this "does not mean
that I am a fundamentalist or a terrorist."
He alleged there was a campaign to brand him a terrorist.