Ari Sigit trial begins
Ari Sigit trial begins
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
JAKARTA: The trial of former president Soeharto's grandson Ari
Haryo Wibowo, alias Ari Sigit, commenced on Tuesday at the
Central Jakarta District Court.
Ari Sigit, 31, has been charged under Article 1, Paragraph 1
of Emergency Law No.12/1951 on the illegal possession of firearms
and ammunition, according to prosecutor Surung Aritonang who read
out the charges.
If found guilty, the eldest son of Sigit Harjoyudanto, the
eldest son of Soeharto, could be sentenced to death or face life
imprisonment.
Ari who was wearing a crisp blue shirt and a patterned tie,
sat calmly before the court while the prosecutor read out the
three-page indictment.
The prosecutor said that 70 bullets had been found during a
search of Ari's house on Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata 6, Menteng, Central
Jakarta, on Aug. 13, 2001.
The search was for his uncle Hutomo Mandala Putra, alias Tommy
Soeharto, who has been named a suspect in the murder of Supreme
Court justice Saifuddin Kartasasmita.
The bullets were found in a red and blue bag bought by the
defendant when he was in the United States with his wife Gusti
Maya Firanti Noor, according to the prosecutor.
Ari was detained at the city police headquarters on Aug. 14
and moved to Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta on Sept. 21.
After the prosecutor finished reading out the indictment, Ari
said he did not understand it.
"I don't understand whether I'm accused of storing, taking or
possessing the bullets," he told the court, presided over by
Judge Heri Suwantoro.
Right after the prosecutor read out the indictment, Juan Felix
Tampubolon, the leader of the defendant's team of lawyers,
immediately objected.
Ari's lawyer contested the charges, saying they were obscure,
and questioned the legality of the search conducted at Ari's
home, saying it was against procedure.
"The crime was not stated clearly in the indictment and my
client's crime was not described in a comprehensive way, thus
causing confusion," Felix told the court.
None of the Soehartos were present at the court, while the
courtroom was packed with dozens of journalists.
When the session ended, Ari made no comment when reporters
surrounded him, while a number of bodyguards in civilian clothes
formed a cordon around him and whisked him out of the courtroom.
Felix reiterated the obscurity of the indictment while stating
that the bullets found at his client's resident did not belong to
Ari.
"We have no idea where the bullets came from ... suddenly they
were found there," Felix told reporters.
The trial will resume next week.