Court endorses plea for Sudomo-Siska divorce

Court endorses plea for Sudomo-Siska divorce

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court yesterday
granted the request of retired admiral Sudomo and his second
wife, Fransiska Diah Widowati, for divorce, thus formally ending
their four-year marriage.

"Both sides have tried to reconcile their differences, but
found that it was impossible," said presiding judge Soedjatman,
briefing the journalists after a 20-minute final session which
was closed to the press.

Soedjatman said in the verdict that the couple had been
involved in endless squabbles over the last two years, making it
impossible for them to form a harmonious marriage.

Just like the five previous sessions, neither Sudomo nor
Fransiska, popularly known as Siska, showed up at the trial.

Sudomo, who is currently chairman of the Supreme Advisory
Council, was represented by O.C. Kaligis, one of the most
expensive lawyers in Jakarta, while Siska was represented by
Abdul Bari in yesterday's trial.

Soedjatman said that Sudomo had reported his divorce request
to President Soeharto in line with the existing legal procedures.
The judge, however, did not explain the division of the couple's
estates.

Siska's lawyer, Abdul Bari, said that his client and Sudomo
had agreed to divide their estates by consensus prior to the
trial, but he did not mention any figure regarding its amount.

Sudomo, the former coordinating minister for political affairs
and security, 68, married Siska, a movie actress, 34, in a grand
ceremony at Paulus Church, Central Jakarta, on Sept. 20, 1990.

The ceremony was attended by a number of senior government
officials, including then minister of defense and security L.B.
Moerdani and chief justice Ali Said.

The court's verdict marked the second failed marriage for both
Sudomo and Siska. The retired admiral already had a divorce from
Fransisca Piay, the mother of Sudomo's four grown children, while
Siska was also a divorcee when she married Sudomo.

Sudomo and Siska seemed happy for much of their four-years
together, overcoming the more than 30-year age difference. Even
Siska's departure for a three month study in France last month
did not seem to threaten the marital bliss.

But the press was shocked by Sudomo when he filed a divorce
suit at the South Jakarta District Court early last month, citing
to what he called `irreconcilable differences'.(09)