Jail sentence demanded for Haryogi over illegal arms
Jail sentence demanded for Haryogi over illegal arms
JAKARTA (JP): A prosecutor at the West Jakarta District Court
demanded a one-year jail term on Friday for Haryogi M. Maulani,
the son of a former top military official, for alleged illegal
possession of firearms.
The demand was much lighter than the maximum 20 years in
prison for illegally possessing guns, as set out in the 1951
Emergency Law.
Prosecutor Maju Ambarita told the court he made the decision
simply due to the weak condition of the defendant, the son of Lt.
Gen. (ret) Zaini Azhar Maulani, former chief of the State
Intelligence Coordinating Board (Bakin).
"The defendant is suffering from bronchitis and acute asthma
which his doctor said needs special treatment," Maju explained,
adding that Haryogi also had a problem with his throat.
According to the prosecutor, several witnesses at earlier
trials had given testimonies implicating Haryogi in the illegal
possession of an AK-47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova) rifle and a Colt
Walther handgun after he was arrested by police on Feb. 16 in a
West Jakarta hotel.
Maju said that the arrest was based on a report from a staff
member at the hotel, Dadang Setyohadi, who claimed to have seen
the rifle lying on the floor when he entered room 1002, booked by
Haryogi.
Dadang reported the finding to the hotel's security staff, who
in turn called the Taman Sari Police.
Police officers arrived shortly before midnight and found
Haryogi in the hotel lobby. They were unable to locate the rifle,
but the officers confiscated a handgun which was strapped to
Haryogi, Maju said.
The AK-47 was later found in the hotel car park after another
witness, a parking attendant, had seen the 30-year-old defendant
hiding the unloaded rifle.
Following his arrest, Haryogi identified himself as a Bakin
member. He showed police officers a copy of a gun ownership
permit, stipulating that he possessed the firearms legally, but
failed to provide official Bakin identity, Maju said.
On June 15, a senior Bakin employee, Anwar M. Nur, said he
doubted the authenticity of the two gun permits.
On July 17, an adjutant to Haryogi's father, Capt. Suatmadji
of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus), testified that he had
given the rifle without proper documents to Haryogi, under the
order of Zaini.
Suatmadji said that Haryogi had proposed to have the rifle
chromed and planned to then hand it over to Bakin, so that the
board could present it as a memento to his father upon his
retirement.
The reason Haryogi brought the gun and rifle to the hotel,
however, was not explored.
Friday's trial was attended by Haryogi's wife, a model, and
their two young sons.
Presiding judge Sri Handojo adjourned the trial until Aug. 22
to hear a statement from the defendant's lawyer. (jaw)