Another bombing defendant gets 9 years imprisonment

Another bombing defendant gets 9 years imprisonment

BANDUNG (JP): In less than a week, the Bandung District Court
sentenced the second accused to nine years imprisonment on
Wednesday for his role in the fatal bombing on Christmas Eve last
year, in which four people were killed.

Roni Miliar, 21, according to presiding judge Akmal Amid, had
violated Paragraph 1, Article 1 of Emergency Law No. 12/1951 and
Paragraph 1, Article 55 of the Indonesian Criminal Code by
illegally using explosives.

On June 28 the same court handed down a nine-year jail term to
Roni's friend, Agus Kurniawan, for his role in the bomb blast.

Roni had earlier admitted that he, Agus and Wawan (an
accomplish who was killed in the blast) were paid Rp 50,000 by a
man identified as Akim to scout three churches on Jl. Gatot
Subroto, Jl. Achmad Yani and Jl. Diponegoro on Dec. 23 and Dec.
24 of last year.

Akim was killed in the blast.

The verdict for Roni was six years lighter than the
prosecutors' demand.

The blast that hit the West Java capital of Bandung on Dec. 24
took place in a two-story shop-house at Jl. Antapani 45 belonging
to Aceng Suhari, who is being tried separately over the bombing.

"The defendant, along with Agus had gone frequently to the
house since Dec. 18 and was at the scene of the accident when the
bomb exploded on Dec. 24," the judge said.

The bomb, set to be placed in one of the churches,
unexpectedly exploded in Aceng's house.

Police believe that the Bandung explosions were connected with
other bomb blasts in other towns in West Java, East Java and Riau
on the same day.

After consulting his lawyer Haneda Sri Lastoto, Roni, who has
been under detention for six months, told the court he would
appeal. (25/sur)