Donny gets nine years for drug possession
Donny gets nine years for drug possession
JAKARTA (JP): A judge at the West Jakarta District Court on
Monday sentenced defendant Donny Hendrian to nine years in jail
for possessing and transporting narcotic and psychotropic
substances.
The court also ordered the defendant, who was caught with the
drugs while in the company of Army Second Lt. Agus Isrok, to pay
a fine of Rp 200 million (US$27,000).
"The defendant has been proven guilty of violating Article 78
of the 1997 Law on Narcotics and Article 62 of the 1997 Law on
Psychotropic Substances," said presiding judge Hadi Lelana in a
hearing at the district court.
Only a few spectators and journalists attended the one-hour
hearing that started at 2:30 p.m.
The articles the defendant was charged under are the same
articles a military prosecutor used to charge Agus Isrok, a son
of former Army's chief of staff Gen. Soebagyo Hadisiswoyo, in the
first hearing of his case at the Jakarta Military Court last
Friday.
Article 78 of the narcotics law carries a maximum sentence of
10 years in jail and a maximum fine of Rp 500 million ($67,500).
Article 62 of the Law on Psychotropic Substances carries a
maximum sentence of five years in jail and a maximum fine of Rp
20 million.
In the previous hearing, prosecutor Ferry Mupahir demanded the
district court sentence Donny, an entrepreneur, to 13 years in
jail.
Donny and Agus, a member of the Army's Special Force
(Kopassus), were arrested by West Jakarta Police detectives at a
hotel on Jl. Mangga Besar on Aug. 8 last year in an early morning
raid.
The police seized from the room 3.7 kilograms of shabu-shabu
(crystal methamphetamine), 6,218 ecstasy pills, 27.9 grams of
heroin and 25 sachets of Valium pills.
In Tuesday's hearing, Judge Hadi said Donny was the owner of
drugs.
"The defendant rented the room," said Judge Hadi, adding that
belongings in a hotel room which did not belong to the hotel
obviously belonged to the guest renting in the room.
He rejected the prosecutor's initial indictment which accused
Donny of being a drug trafficker.
"There are no witnesses to testify that the defendant is a
drug trafficker," he said.
Prosecutor Ferry said in the initial indictment that the
defendant had also violated Article 59 of the 1997 Law on
Psychotropic Substances concerning trafficking in psychotropic
substances, namely ecstasy pills and shabu-shabu, which carries a
maximum sentence of 15 years in jail and a maximum fine of Rp 750
million (US$101,350).
Upon hearing the verdict, Donny's lawyer Johannes Wiratno said
his client would appeal the verdict.(asa)