Defendants' no-show adjourns cout hearing

Defendants' no-show adjourns cout hearing

JAKARTA (JP): A judge at the Central Jakarta District Court
delayed the opening session of an assault trial when two of the
five defendants failed to appear on Wednesday.

The judge said the presence of all five of the defendants was
required for the opening session, explaining why he had postponed
the trial until next week.

"The court needs all of the defendants to be present in the
courtroom since we (judges) will ask them during the opening
session whether they understand the prosecutor's indictment,"
presiding judge Djafni Djamal said.

He said the presence of the defendants was necessary in order
to avoid any confusion on the part of the defendants regarding
the indictment.

Djafni said the two defendants failed to appear because
officers from the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's Office neglected
to pick them up for transfer to the court. He said the officers
only picked up the other three defendants, who are being held at
the Salemba Detention Center in Central Jakarta.

"Officers from the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's Office were
careless in their duties and did not pick up the two defendants
-- M. Yacob and Fodi Sapta Soekarno -- who are being detained at
Pondok Bambu Penitentiary in East Jakarta," the judge said.

Djafni adjourned the hearing until next week, at which time
prosecutor Timbul Pasaribu will read the indictment against the
defendants.

In the indictment, copies of which were made available to the
press on Wednesday, the five defendants -- Mujiono, Agus Yahwa,
Sugiman Yacob and Fodi Sapta -- are charged with assault under
Article 170, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. The article
carries a maximum sentence of five years and six months in
prison.

According to the indictment, the five defendants attempted to
enter the compound of the People's Consultative Assembly building
in Central Jakarta to stage a protest during the Assembly's
General Session on Oct. 15 last year.

Scores of civilian guards blocked the defendants from entering
the compound. In response, the defendants threw stones at the
civilian guards, severely injuring several of them. The injured
were identified as Mulyono, Wahyudi, Priharso Nugroho, Heru
Riswan, Iwan Setiawan and Entong Rahardjo. (asa)