Gambling lord Taslim Bianti gets 8 months
Gambling lord Taslim Bianti gets 8 months
JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta District court sentenced 22
people involved in illegal gambling, including its lord, Taslim
Bianti, to between three and eight months imprisonment yesterday.
"Based on all facts revealed before the court, I decided to
sentence Taslim to eight months in jail," said presiding judge
Surti Hari Pramono.
Meanwhile prosecutor, H.P.W. Soekewi, who had demanded a one
year sentence, said that she will use the 14 days allowed by law
to consider whether to file an appeal.
According to existing law, gamblers caught red handed face
maximum imprisonment of four years or a maximum fine of Rp 10
million (US$4,600) if convicted. A person found illegally
operating a gambling place faces a maximum jail term of 10 years
and a fine of Rp 25 million (US$11,478).
Taslim and his 20 employees were among 238 people apprehended
on June 11 at the aptly named Lucky Plaza building on Jl. Pluit
Indah Jaya by a 40-strong Operation Cleansing team from the
Jakarta Chapter of the Agency for the Support of National
Stability (Bakorstanasda Jaya).
Of the total, five are Malaysians, one a Hong Kong national
and another Taiwanese. The remaining 231 suspects are
Indonesians, mostly of Chinese descent. Included among them are
two newspaper reporters and two lawyers.
Police later freed 56 of them, including the journalists and
lawyers, saying that they were merely onlookers, and had not been
taking part in the gambling activities at the time of the raid.
Police later released the remaining gamblers, including five
pregnant women, on bail. The 22 people whom police believe to
have been operators of the gambling den are still being detained.
Tabs
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochamad Hindarto said earlier
that to anticipate the matter he had assigned the special
Babinkamtibmas police patrol to keep tabs on the gamblers who
were released on bail.
In the second session, Presiding Judge Surti Hari Pramono
sentenced Syafrizal, a cashier, Suharno, a cashier's assistant,
Johan Pek Mo, the den's supervisor, each to four months
imprisonment.
In the third session Surti sentenced Guan An, the owner of the
400-square-meter room in Lucky Plaza rented by Taslim to six
months.
Meanwhile in another session Presiding Judge Akib Lasangke
sentenced nine of Taslim's assistants: Beni Jaya, Ali Akbar, Kho
Kim Hong, Samidin Santoso, Hadiwijaya, Khow Hok Lie, Lucas Siwu,
Irwanto and Eng Hok An to four months imprisonment each.
Judge Akib also sentenced both Tati Suryati and Esther
Irawati, two women who began working for Taslim the day before
the raid, to three months and seven days.
In the last session, Presiding Judge Thomas Sumardi sentenced
Tjau Liang, Ah Wa and She Lie to four months in jail while Riyadi
and Eddy Ak Yat got five months.
All of those detained since June 12 accepted the verdicts.(03)