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)