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.