Ari Sigit found guilty, but walks free

Ari Sigit found guilty, but walks free

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The grandson of former president Soeharto, Ari Sigit, was
sentenced to two months and 22 days in jail after the Central
Jakarta District Court found him guilty of illegal possession of
firearms' ammunition.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of death or life in
prison.

Monday's verdict meant Ari, also known as Ari Haryo Wibowo,
walked free as the jail term was deducted from the time he had
already spent behind bars and under house arrest.

Ari, 31, was in jail from Sept. 21 to Oct. 11 at the Salemba
Penitentiary in Central Jakarta. A panel of judges later approved
Ari's application for house arrest. According to the law, the
period a person spends under house arrest is equal to one third
of the time spent in jail.

Presiding judge Herri Swantoro said that Ari was guilty of
illegally possessing 70 bullets that were found when the police
raided his house at Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata 6, Menteng, Central
Jakarta, on Aug. 13, 2001.

The raid was held when detectives were searching for the
defendant's fugitive uncle, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who was
finally caught in a house in Bintaro, southern Jakarta, late last
month.

Ari said he accepted the verdict while his lawyer, Juan Felix
Tampubolon and Prosecutor Surung Aritonang, who earlier asked the
court to sentence Ari to one year in jail, said they had not
decided whether or not to appeal.

Ari was charged under an article of Emergency Law No. 12/1951
on illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Prosecutor Surung had earlier said that he asked for a light
sentence as he believed the crime had not caused anyone to
suffer.