House attackers get 6, 4 years in prison
House attackers get 6, 4 years in prison
Urip Hudiono, Jakarta
The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced on Wednesday two
Acehnese -- Aditiawarman alias Adi bin Warman, 23, and Fadli
Hasan alias Ifat bin Hasan, 44 -- to six years and four years
imprisonment respectively for their roles in bombing a building
at the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly
compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, last July.
The sentences were lenient compared to the state prosecutor's
recommendation of a 10-year sentence for both defendants.
Presiding judge I Putu Widnya said when reading the verdict
that the court had heard testimonies and conclusive evidence to
prove Aditiawarman guilty of placing a bomb in the building.
The defendant had violated Article 6 of Law No. 15/2003 on
terrorism and Article 55 of the Criminal Code, for perpetrating
an act of terrorism which caused public fear and the destruction
of vital objects and Article 1 of Law No. 12/1951 on the state of
emergency for illegally possessing firearms and explosives.
The judges considered several mitigating circumstances
including that the defendant had shown remorse, had cooperated
during the trial and had planted the bomb under the instructions
of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) member Muda Belia, who is still at
large.
"The defendant had also set the bomb to explode on 7:15 a.m.,
instead of at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. as ordered, to avoid any
casualties," Putu said.
Upon hearing the verdict, the defendant consulted his lawyer
Sahara Pangaribuan before deciding whether or not to lodge an
appeal.
In a separate trial presided by Judge Mulyani, defendant Fadli
was also found guilty by the court of similar crimes, by storing
materials for the bomb and later transporting it from the
defendants' rented house in East Bekasi to the House of
Representatives compound.
Fadli, who was accompanied by his lawyer Abdul Salam, said
after the trial that he would likely file an appeal.
Prosecutor Putu Sudarsana was dissatisfied with the verdict on
Fadli as it was more lenient than his recommendation of 10 years
and said he would consider lodging an appeal.
The bomb that exploded at the Nusantara IV building in the
House complex was set in protest of the House's approval of the
imposition of martial law in Aceh on May 19, 2003.
No casualties were reported in the blast, which only caused
minor damage to the rolling door of the building's central air-
conditioning control room.