Businessman's killers get 20, 15 years' jail

JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta District Court sentenced two men yesterday to 20 years and 15 years imprisonment, respectively, after convicting them of murdering a businessman.

Handing down the sentence, Justice Sumardjono said that Agiono Safran, 44, and Sudartono, alias Atok, 46, had been found guilty of murdering businessman Darmansyah Sujadi, alias Nyo Beng Seng, in April last year.

The judge referred to the testimony of the witnesses called in the trial and other evidence, including an autopsy report provided by the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, which had convinced the court that Agiono and Atok, together with other men as yet still at large, had carried out the murder in a premeditated way.

"We decide to sentence Agiono to 20 years imprisonment and Sudartono to 15 years imprisonment," the judge told a court session.

Justice Sumardjono said Agiono was a repeat offender, noting that he had spent five years in Nusakambangan prison for a similar crime committed in 1979.

The judge asked the prosecutor to retain a knife believed to have been used by the convicted men to kill Beng Seng.

Beng Seng was stabbed to death in a mansion belonging to his second wife in Pluit, North Jakarta, on April 15, 1994.

The murdered man was the owner of a leading music recording company, PT Irama Tara, as well as several massage parlors and night clubs in Jakarta. He was also a contact person for Indonesians who wanted to gamble at exclusive gambling venues overseas, such as Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia.

Earlier, Prosecutor James Pardede had told the court in his indictment that Agiono and Atok, as well as untried suspects Ahak, Barki, Agus, Mono and Yudi, planned the murder on April 13 during a meeting in Ancol, North Jakarta.

According to the prosecutor, the murder was carried out on the instructions of Beng Seng's business competitor Hong Lie, following an argument between the two men in which Beng Seng allegedly asked Hong Lie to pay a debt of US$3.2 million.

Hong Lie, who is believed to be in Singapore, is on the city police's list of most wanted suspected criminals.

On April 14, Agiono and Atok -- allegedly in the company of the five other suspects -- went to Beng Seng's second wife's mansion to carry out the murder.

There they saw Beng Seng leaving for his night club in Mangga Dua, North Jakarta. Ahak and Mono then followed him, keeping a close watch on him until Beng Seng later left the night club. In the meantime, Agiono, Atok, Barki, Agus and Yudi waited for the victim in front of the mansion.

When Beng Seng left for home at approximately 1:30 a.m., Ahak allegedly contacted Atok via a radio paging service with the message that "the bird is coming."

When Beng Seng arrived at the Pluit mansion, Agiono and Atok confronted him in the yard and stabbed him several times. Beng Seng later died in hospital. (29)