Bombing indictments submitted
Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Makassar
The Bali Prosecutors Office submitted the indictments of nine more Bali bombing suspects to the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday.
Bali Prosecutors Office spokesperson M Salim said the indictments were for the group of suspects known as the Surakarta group, namely Ali Gufron (alias Muklas), Hernianto, Herlambang, Musyafak, Makmuri, Muhamad Najib Nawawi, Masykur Abdul Kadir, Bambang Setiono and Ahmad Budi Wibowo.
Ali Gufron is being charged under antiterrorism laws with plotting and organizing the terror attacks that claimed 202 lives on Oct. 12 last year.
His charge is similar to his brother Amrozi and the alleged mastermind of the bombings, Imam Samudra.
Hernianto is charged with conspiring to commit terrorism or facilitating the act of terrorism.
The other seven suspects were charged with assisting or harboring terrorists and withholding information on terror attacks.
If convicted, Ali and Hernianto will face the possible death penalty while the others face a maximum 15 years in prison.
The prosecutors' office has now filed 15 indictments on the bombings.
Salim said the last 14 indictments would be submitted by mid June.
The prosecutors also handed over evidence, including an FN pistol, eight bullets, a black waist bag, Rp 5.9 million (US$720) of bank notes and 10 VCDs containing scenes of Ambon's violent conflict and a sermon from Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the alleged spiritual leader of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network.
A total of 50 items would be presented in court, Salim said.
Denpasar District Court head I Made Karna said the court would immediately arrange the trial schedules for the nine new defendants. The trials of Samudra and Amrozi are already underway.
"We are still waiting for the arrival of six additional judges. The number of judges that we currently have is inadequate to cope with the growing number of bombing-related cases and defendants," he said.
Meanwhile, in Makassar, the South Sulawesi Prosecutor's Office submitted seven indictments for suspects in the Makassar bomb attack to the Makassar District Court on Tuesday. So far 13 indictments have been completed.
The indictments were for suspects Hamid Abdul Razzaq, Imal Hamid, Suryadi Mas'ud, Kaharuddin Mustafa, Muchtar Daeng Lau, Lukman Husain and Uman Nur Affan.
The prosecutors also handed over three plastic bags of TNT found at the house of Hamid Abdul Razzaq, the father of main suspect Agung Abdul Hamid who is still at large, documents on the planning of the Makassar, saving accounts and clothes.
Court chief Andi Haedar said the trial of the seven suspects would begin on June 13.
Six other suspects, namely Haerul, Muhammad Tang (alias Itang), Anton, Ilham Riyadi, Masnur and Suriadi will stand trial next Monday.
The 13 suspects are charged under antiterrorism laws with planning and organizing the bombings of a McDonald's outlet and a car dealership owned by Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla on Dec. 5 last year. Three people were killed and 11 injured in the blasts.