Despite police's vow, Tommy's fate still plagued by uncertainty
Despite police's vow, Tommy's fate still plagued by uncertainty
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Though accomplices implicated in crimes allegedly masterminded
by Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra are being tried, the fate of
former president Soeharto's youngest son remains clouded in
uncertainty.
Police restated Tuesday that its cases against Tommy, relating
to his involvement in four main crimes, were strong.
The cases involve Tommy's alleged involvement in the murder of
Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, the illegal
possession of ammunition and rifles, his involvement in a spate
of bomb attacks in Jakarta and contempt of law.
However, police have yet to say when Tommy will be charged and
brought before a court.
Jakarta Police Detective Chief Sr. Comr. Bambang Hendarso
Danuri said it was still waiting for the prosecutors' response to
know if its submitted investigation results were complete.
Last week, the South Jakarta Prosecutors' Office returned two
dossiers submitted by the police, relating to the murder of
Syafiuddin and illegal possession of guns, due to a lack of
evidence.
Bambang said police would next start interrogating Tommy about
his year on the run after fleeing an 18-month prison sentence for
his role in the Goro-Bulog (State Logistics Agency) land scam. He
was later acquitted of the charges.
He admitted that police were still undecided as to whether to
pursue a case against Tommy for his alleged masterminding of a
string of bomb attacks when he was at large.
"We will pursue the case later because it is a complex case,"
he said, without elaborating.
Tommy has been detained for 55 days since his eventual arrest
last November.
Many observers, fed up with political interference and
corruption in the country's legal system, suspect the prolonged
nature of the police investigation means it has fallen foul of
outside influences.
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI)
activist Hendardi said police were attempting to cover for the
powerful network which had helped Tommy hide.
He pointed out a police ploy to put Tommy's crimes in separate
dossiers, alleging it was a maneuver to distract attention from
the network.
"They try to distract public attention from the broader
context of the powerful network behind Tommy to common offenses
conducted by his accomplices," he said, implying political deals
behind Tommy's arrest.
Hendardi said the police's excuses for their failure to
quickly arrest Tommy had shown the strength of the network.
Instead of police detaining Tommy's aides during its search,
it was busy pursuing other cases to bewilder the public,
including an extortion case allegedly involving former president
Abdurrahman Wahid.
"It's a common practice conducted by law enforcers to buy
time."
Hendardi said buying time allowed either police or the
prosecutors to hide or destroy evidence.
He also warned the public that the returned dossiers showed
police had not prepared strong cases.
"It indicates that police have no strong convincing evidence
in the Tommy's cases."
Hendardi said should Tommy be sentenced by the court, it would
most probably be a light one.
Indonesian Corruption Watch legal observer Iskandar Sonhaji
warned there were more obvious moves by Tommy's aides to clear
him from all accusations.
Defendants R. Maulawarman, alias Molla, and Noval Hadad have
withdrawn their earlier statements relating to the drive-by
shooting of Syafiuddin. The newest statements state they did not
know Tommy in person.
Instead, they confessed they were hired by Frans, an aide of
Tommy, who provided the rifles and money to carry out the
assassination. Frans is currently still at large.