Bombing suspect declared not guilty

Bombing suspect declared not guilty

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The East Jakarta district court exonerated Ramli, alias Dadang
Hermana, 42, on Tuesday of all charges made against him in
connection with a bomb explosion at Graha Cijantung Mall, East
Jakarta, on July 1 last year.

Presiding Judge Pardiman ruled that all the witnesses had
testified that Ramli was not present at the site as alleged by
the prosecution, and therefore could not be said to have been
involved in the bombing.

Prosecutor Supomo had asked for a five-year jail sentence for
Ramli, who was charged with three crimes in connection with the
case.

The first concerned violation of Article 1 of Emergency Law
No. 12/1951 on ammunition and arms possession, which carries the
maximum punishment of life imprisonment or death.

The second and third charges involved violations of the
Criminal Code, Article 187, Nos. 1 and 2, on acts that could
cause danger to lives and property.

However, Ramli, who was born in North Aceh, is serving a 20-
year jail term as he was found guilty late last year by the
Bekasi District Court of illegal arms possession in another,
separate, case.

Prosecutor Supomo's indictment stated that, on the day of the
bombing, Ramli was driving with several friends in a Kijang van
when Syahrul Aryady, alias Sugeng Junaedi, told the occupants of
the car, "We'll blow up Graha Cijantung today to cause chaos in
Jakarta." The homemade bomb was prepared by Syahrul and Mukharam,
who was also in the car.

At 7 p.m., Mukharam planted the bomb under the emergency
stairs at basement level, according to prosecutors.

The blast damaged level B2 of the mall, but no casualties were
reported.

Besides Ramli, another defendant, Irsyadi, alias Bambang
Setiawan, alias Mudawali, was also freed of all charges, but he
was soon rearrested for his alleged role in four bombing
incidents here last year. On June 9, 2002, a bomb exploded in
front of Exotic discotheque and another near Hotel Jayakarta. Two
other bombs were found outside Plaza Hayam Wuruk and at the
parking lot of Sarinah Department Store, but were diffused.

Syahrul, meanwhile, was sentenced in May by the same district
court to 15 years in prison for his role in the Cijantung
bombing.

Earlier in April, the court sentenced M. Nadar, alias Arun,
alias Atom, to two years in prison for planting a bomb in the
mall, which is partly owned by the Army's Special Forces and is
located near the forces' headquarters. The court, however, failed
to reveal the motives for the bombing.

Another defendant -- Fachrizal Hasan, alias Fachri, alias Nyak
Mad -- is being tried separately.

Police are still searching for other suspects in the case.

The trial did not implicate GAM at all in the case, but police
had repeatedly claimed that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was
behind the bombing at Cijantung Mall, as well as other bombings
such as that near the UN building in Central Jakarta and at
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport earlier this year.