Court sentences bomb owner to 10 years in jail
Court sentences bomb owner to 10 years in jail
JAKARTA (JP): East Jakarta District Court sentenced Elize
Maria Tuwahatu to 10 years in jail on Monday for the illegal
possession of bombs, which she once claimed to have received from
former president Soeharto's fugitive son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala
Putera.
Presiding Judge Suhartono said in the verdict that Elize, 33,
was found guilty of owning explosives without a permit from the
concerned authorities.
The defendant was guilty of violating the 1951 Emergency Law
on the illegal possession of explosives.
"The crime committed by Elize provoked public unrest," said
the judge.
The sentence was five years lighter than the 15-year term
demanded by public prosecutor Surung Aritonang.
Police arrested Elize on Jan. 19 when she was caught red-
handed carrying three bombs at the Indonesian Miniature Park
(TMII) recreation park.
Elize initially claimed she received the bombs from Tommy, who
asked her to plant them in several places such as the Attorney
General's Office and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The
woman, who lives on Jl. Suwiryo in Menteng, just a few hundred
meters from the houses of former president Soeharto and Tommy
respectively, also said she had received Rp 75 million in checks
from Tommy.
Elize, however, later retracted her statement, saying she was
given the bombs by a man who looked like Tommy. Before her arrest
she reportedly used to describe herself, a Christian, as the
spiritual advisor of Tommy, who is a Muslim.
"We are still considering whether to accept or to appeal to a
higher court," her defense lawyer Masiga Bugis responded, when
asked by the judge about his client's reaction to the punishment.
Tommy has been at large since November when he escaped after
South Jakarta District Court sentenced him to an 18-month jail
term for corruption in a land exchange deal with the State
Logistics Agency (Bulog).
There is speculation that last Friday's killing of Supreme
Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, who sentenced Tommy to
jail for graft, was also linked with Tommy, an allegation flatly
denied by his lawyers.
Lawyer Elza Syarif told Antara on Tuesday that media reports
on the murder could be disadvantageous for his client, Tommy,
whose case is being studied by the Supreme Court.
He was referring to Tommy's request to the court to review a
land scam that had brought him to trial.
Soon after the decision was made, Tommy escaped. Strangely
enough, while he was on the run, his lawyer filed a request with
the Supreme Court to review the case, a move that has sparked
controversy among legal experts. (prb)