Bali bombing 'abettor' acquitted of all charges
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post/Palu
The Supreme Court has upheld a full acquittal issued by a high court for a suspected abettor in the Bali bombing case, the defense's legal counsel said on Monday.
Reviewing the appeal filed by the prosecution on the Central Sulawesi High Court's acquittal of defendant Aang, the Supreme Court said in a statement the prosecution could not prove that the defendant had harbored two Bali bombing perpetrators two years ago, and ordered the defendant released.
"After months of hard work, our client was finally released," Andi Makkasau, Aang's lawyer, said on Monday.
He said he had just received a copy of the Supreme Court ruling, which was dated Aug. 13.
Aang was arrested early last year along with two Bali bombing suspects, Firmansyah and Achmad Roichan, in Lere subdistrict, West Palu, Central Sulawesi.
A police investigation named Aang a suspect in harboring Firmansyah and Achmad from December 2002 to April 2004, only a couple of months after the Oct. 12, 2002, bombing of the Sari Club and Paddy's Cafe that killed over 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
Aang remained consistent throughout his district court trial in denying that he was connected to the suspected perpetrators or that he hid them following the terror attack.
He testified that he had been invited by Achmad, a friend, to dinner, and was not aware that Achmad was a Bali bombing suspect.
The district court found him guilty and sentenced him to three years in jail early this year.
Aang appealed to the Central Sulawesi High Court, which overturned the lower court's verdict. The prosecution then appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the high court's ruling.
Most of the more than 30 defendants in the Bali bombing case have been found guilty, with sentences ranging from 2 years to death.
Firmansyah has been sentenced to three years in jail, and Achmad Roichan is being tried in a Jakarta court for his role in the Bali bombing.
Aang is the first defendant that has been acquitted.