Ex-soldier tried over gun smuggling

Ex-soldier tried over gun smuggling

TANGERANG (JP): The Tangerang District Court began on Friday
the trial of Masdiki Suparto, 57, a retired Army captain charged
with bringing an illegal firearm into the country.

Prosecutor Budiahningsih told the hearing the defendant has
violated Article 1 of the 1951 Emergency Law, a crime which
carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.

Budiahningsih said the defendant was arrested on arrival from
Cambodia by custom and excise officials at Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport on Dec. 26 last year after an X-ray check
detected an FN gun in his bag.

"When asked about the firearm, the defendant said the gun
belonged to his friend in Cambodia," Budiahningsih said.

Masdiki told the hearing that after retiring from the
Indonesian Military (TNI), he found a job as a security guard in
a telecommunications company in Cambodia.

"I returned to Indonesia to celebrate Idul Fitri with my
family in East Java. Before I departed for Indonesia, my boss,
Yanwar, gave me a package," Masdiki told the court.

"I only realized what was inside this package after the custom
and excise officials opened it." (41/ylt)