Blatant mockery of justice

Our blood pressure had yet to return to normal from the Manulife scandal when we were yet again flabbergasted upon Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra's revelation during Wednesday's trial that he had visited his family on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta, once a month, and spent two weeks of every month at home during his almost-one-year on the run.

Tommy, who is being charged with the murder of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, answered the panel of judges' questions with self-confidence and an "innocent smile".

"Everything was OK, thanks to coordination with the security," the youngest son of former president Soeharto told the court.

In September 2000, the South Jakarta District Court exonerated Tommy from charges of playing a role in a land scam involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). Besides murder, Tommy stands accused of illegal possession of firearms and fleeing from justice.

Tommy's admission that he visited Syafiuddin's home -- after the latter overruled the innocent verdict handed down to Tommy by the South Jakarta District Court -- was a lead that the court could and should have explored. Syafiuddin was killed by men who were allegedly Tommy's accomplices. He was killed by a bullet that came from one of six guns found by police at a home rented by Tommy -- as revealed by an expert witness in a recent trial.

All five judges in Wednesday's hearing seemed reluctant to pursue Tommy's statements, and this has fueled public speculations that everything has been orchestrated to favor Tommy.

Chief prosecutor Hasan Madani skipped from one question to another, instead of asking probing questions.

"I would not waste my energy as it would be useless. He'll just keep on denying everything," Hasan told reporters after the hearing, defending his poor performance.

Another flimsy excuse was given by Judge Andi Samsan Nganro that a bad flu had forced him to jump from one question to another during the trial, despite the fact that some of the defendant's answers deserved to be further explored.

The prosecutors seemed to take Tommy's dumbfounding testimony for granted, ignoring the fact that his revelations were open to further legal action.

Tommy has just conducted an act of "denudation", which embarrasses our judicial system, and in a special context is a slap in the police's face.

Earlier this month Rossanna Hasan, a widow of a former middle- ranking Army officer, told the court as a witness that she had allowed Tommy to stay at her house in Bintaro, South Jakarta, even though she knew it was against the law.

Paragraph 1 of Article 221 of the Criminal Code stipulates that those harboring and protecting fugitives from further legal proceedings could face a maximum penalty of nine months in jail.

The question is: How many other people, besides Rossanna, protected and harbored Tommy? And do our law enforcers have the guts to uphold the law by sending those who knew Tommy's whereabouts during his escape to court?

It is obviously a fallacy that Tommy's wife, brothers and sisters and lawyers were unaware that Tommy visited his residence and stayed there for days every month during his time on the run.

In this case it is apparent that moral corruption and ineptitude is prevalent among our law enforcers, on whom the public has placed their high hopes of the reform movement, including in the legal system.

Still fresh in mind is how the police searched a bunker under Tommy's house, plus the houses of his father, Soeharto, and brother and sisters early last year.

The "intensive" search of Tommy's residence by drilling through to the underground bunker carried out by Jakarta Police officers drew much attention. Many praised the "serious" action, but many also ridiculed the action, alleging it was all for show.

Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman was then Jakarta Police chief when the aggressive search for Tommy began in January 2001. On May 9, Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb replaced Mulyono. Sofjan started his notoriety when he hugged Tommy in front of journalists soon after Tommy was arrested in November of last year.

Things became clear on Wednesday. The public realizes that what the Jakarta Police did to "find" Tommy was a mere charade conducted by high-level officers to fool the public, which really hurts the people's sense of justice.

The police must clarify their position and respond to Tommy's revelations, and all parties who knew Tommy's whereabouts during his escape should demonstrate their gallantry as they all violated the law.

Law enforcers, including lawyers, have failed to uphold the reform banner brandished by the people, who long for good governance.

Tommy's latest revelations are a blatant mockery of our judicial system, and are further proof that the law enforcers continue with their tricks to fool the people for their own interests. The law really has become a commodity in this country.