Court indicts notorious pimp, his lackeys
Court indicts notorious pimp, his lackeys
JAKARTA (JP): Hartono Setyawan, one of the most notorious
pimps of high-class call girls in Indonesia, and three of his
lackeys were indicted at South Jakarta District Court yesterday.
"Hartono intentionally ran an illicit prostitution business
from 1989 to July 1994," said prosecutor Rotua Marpaung.
The prosecutor said that Hartono provided his girls with a
house on Jl. Prapanca 4, South Jakarta and arranged that 50
percent of their income should be given to him.
Prosecutor Rotua said that the brothels offer call girls at
rates ranging between Rp 750,000 and Rp 1.5 million (US$348 -
698) for short-term service (three hours) and twice as much for
12 hours.
Reportedly, in an attempt to lure more clients Hartono also
accepted major credit cards as payment for his girls' services.
Rotua said that Hartono has violated Articles 296 and 506 of
the Criminal Code, which forbid sexual procurement.
According to Article 296, a person faces 16 months
imprisonment if found guilty.
Hartono, who appeared in the crowded court room without his
lawyers, looked pale and kept his head held low during the
session.
The 42-year-old, noted as an 'untouchable pimp', was picked up
by police at his mansion in the elite Pondok Indah housing
complex in South Jakarta on July 27.
Police said that Hartono was arrested following the arrest of
six occupants of a high-class brothel on Jl. Prapanca, South
Jakarta, three days earlier.
The six consisted of three prostitutes, Kho Ghay Goen, an
assistant pimp, Hamzah, a receptionist and Ari Dewanto, a driver
of a minivan used to transport call girls from Jl. Prapanca to
the customer's address.
Two of the three call girls, Nova Novianti, 20, and Natalia
Risani, 24, were caught by police while offering their services
to guests at the Century Park Hotel. Sriyanti, 31, was nabbed at
the Jakarta Hilton, both in Central Jakarta.
In a separate session, prosecutor Eko Siwi Iriyanti said in
her indictment that Kho, known as Gunawan, 39, violated Article
296 and 56 of the Criminal Code by intentionally helping run a
sex business.
`Backers'
Prosecutor Esther Datu Rante said that Ari and Hamzah violated
the same articles.
Presiding Judge Stephanus Sutrisno adjourned Hartono's trial
until Oct. 26. The trial for the other two defendants was
adjourned until Oct. 19.
Many people believed that Hartono, an Indonesian of Chinese
descent, had recruited a handful of "backers" to protect the
illegal businesses he established in the heady 1970s.
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto said last
August that police were attempting to locate Hartono's backers
and would send them to court if there is sufficient evidence
regarding their involvement in Hartono's dirty business.
Hartono was sentenced to eight months in jail back in 1986 at
South Jakarta District Court.
When he appealed to the Jakarta High Court, the judges
lightened the sentence to two years probation.
Instead of stopping his sex business, he later expanded it by
opening brothels in Surabaya, Bandung, Denpasar, and Semarang,
which were reportedly closed down by police shortly after his
arrest. (mas)