Elza could face seven years behind bars

Elza could face seven years behind bars

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Elza Syarief, one of the lawyers who defended flamboyant convict
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former
president Soeharto, may face a seven-year prison sentence over
alleged false statements made under oath, and bribery.

"We have completed the dossiers. We shall submit the dossiers,
as well the suspect, to the Jakarta Prosecutors Office soon. If
convicted, she could face a maximum sentence of seven years in
jail," Comr. Sutarjo, deputy head of city police corruption
detectives told The Jakarta Post and Sinar Harapan on Thursday.

Sutarjo said Elza was charged with bribing Ahmad Hidayat and
Tatang Somantri, security guards at the Cemara Apartment in
Menteng, Central Jakarta, to lie.

The guards had become witnesses in the investigation into
illegal possession of firearms and ammunition at the apartment,
which implicated Tommy.

Sutarjo said Elza was charged under Article 242 of the
Criminal Code on false statements, which carried a maximum seven-
year jail sentence.

In addition, Elza was also charged, under Article 55 of the
code, with assisting in the commission of a crime as well as
Article 2 of Law No. 11/1980 on bribery, which carries a maximum
five-year prison sentence, Sutarjo added.

Elza is one of Tommy's lawyers who defended him over several
criminal charges, including arranging the murder of Supreme Court
Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, illegal possession of
firearms and ammunition, and flight from the law.

Tommy was convicted and given a 15-year jail sentence. He
commenced his prison sentence at Cipinang Penitentiary, East
Jakarta, and was later transferred to Nusakambangan Penitentiary,
Central Java.

The police detained Elza for a month as a bribery suspect from
May 6 to June 6 last year. She was subsequently released
following a request for a delay in her detention.

In May last year, before an ethics committee of lawyers, Elza
admitted that she had given Rp 5.8 million (US$647) to two
witnesses in her client's case to withdraw their statements made
earlier to the city police. In addition, Elza also acknowledged
before the hearing that she had given cash to other witnesses,
including Cemara Apartment staff Marvin Hukom and Beni M. Robani.

Both Rahmat and Tatang told the police earlier that Elza gave
them Rp 2 million before they testified in court on April 10 last
year.

In return, they denied that signatures on police statements
were theirs. They also told the Central Jakarta District Court
that the police had tortured them during questioning.

Several witnesses confirmed that Elza had asked for Rp 5.8
million from the Bakti Putra Bangsa Foundation, which manages the
apartment, where the police found ammunition and firearms
reportedly belonging to Tommy.

Tommy chaired the foundation before relinquishing the post in
favor of his wife, Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani, in January
2001.