Drug suspect verdict postponed

Drug suspect verdict postponed

TANGERANG (JP): The defendant in a major drug case, who was
due to be sentenced by Tangerang District Court, failed for the
second time to appear before court on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Asnawi could only present a letter written by the
defendant, saying that he was unable to attend the trial due to
his poor health.

Presiding judge Silverster Djuma then ordered the prosecutor
to check the defendant's health condition at Tangerang Pemuda
Penitentiary on Jl. Veteran, which postponed the hearing for two
hours.

"The defendant was shivering and his body was bluish, so it
would be impossible to present him to this courtroom," Asnawi
told the hearing, after returning to the courtroom.

Last week, the defendant could not attend the court hearing
due to his poor health. Judge Djuma said on that occasion that he
would read the verdict out on Wednesday even if the defendant was
lying on a stretcher before the bench in the courtroom.

When asked why he did not force the defendant to hear the
verdict despite being sick, Djuma said the panel of judges
decided to postpone reading the verdict out until Monday for
humanitarian reasons.

However, Djuma said if the defendant was still sick on July
30, the panel of judges would decide to force the defendant to
the court room to hear the court ruling.

The defendant Robert Kenken, 32, a resident of Jl. Mangga
Besar 11, Tangki subdistrict, Central Jakarta, was arrested at
Hotel Ibis in Slipi, West Jakarta on Nov. 1, 2000 for allegedly
smuggling 40 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal menthaphetamine)
into the country from Hong Kong. (01)