Court asked to dismiss bomb suspect charges

Court asked to dismiss bomb suspect charges

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers for bomb suspect Maria Elize Tuwahatu
asked the East Jakarta District Court on Wednesday to reject
prosecution charges as they were based on the testimony of
psychic Agung Yulianto, alias Ki Joko Bodo, whom they labeled a
liar.

"The Criminal Code Procedures do not permit a liar to testify.
Agung Yulianto is a fortune teller, a shaman... he can be
categorized as liar," defense counsel Masiga Bugis told the
court.

Elize has been charged by prosecutor Surung Aritonang with
having violated the 1951 Emergency Law on the illegal possession
of explosives, a capital offense.

The defendant was arrested by the police on Jan. 19 at the
Taman Mini Indonesia recreational park in East Jakarta. The
arrest was made following a tip-off from Ki Joko Bodo, who said
he was asked by Elize to plant the bombs at the Attorney
General's Office, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the
central tax office.

Elize earlier told police that she had received the bombs from
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the fugitive youngest son of former
President Soeharto. But she later retracted her statement, saying
she was given the bombs by a man who resembled Tommy.

Masiga said the police should question Ki Joko Bodo over his
decision to report the case to the police. He said there were
strong indications that it was actually Ki Joko Bodo who had
asked Elize to plant the bombs.

"As Ki Joko Bodo's customer, my client was supposed to obey
him," Masiga said.

Masiga also told the court that his client had been tortured
and coerced into making statements by the police investigators,
and was not allowed to have a lawyer present during the
questioning.

"The South Jakarta Police were looking for a target... a
scapegoat had to be found. They even suggested Tommy's name as
the man who gave my client the bombs, and forced her to confirm
this," Masiga said.

"Due to the many mistakes made by the prosecutors, such as
filing an invalid dossier and using an unreliable witness, we ask
the court to reject the prosecution indictment and declare it to
be without adequate basis in law," Masiga said.

The trial will resume next week to hear the prosecution's
response. (02)