JP/3/BASOEKI/0

Prosecutor asked 20 years jail term for killer of Basuki

JAKARTA (JP): Prosecutor Agus Sutoto held to his earlier indictment yesterday and asked the South Jakarta district court to sentence Aminudin, the burglar-turned-killer of Indonesia's master painter Basuki Abdullah, to a 20 years in prison.

"The statement from the defense attorney is baseless. A witness does not necessarily have see the incident himself," Agus said.

He was referring to the statement made by defense lawyers Kesanta Tarigan and Robertus Bait Keytimu earlier this month. They said that the indictment was groundless because none of the witnesses testified that they actually saw the killing.

According to Agus, the coroner who conducted the autopsy on Basuki, the victim was beaten with a bat-like cane which later turned out to be the butt of an air rifle. This statement was strong enough to introduced as evidence.

"The defendant himself has testified that he killed Basuki with the rifle," the prosecutor said, while reading the nine-page statement.

The indictment states that Basuki woke up and tried to fight Aminudin as he was looting the victim's bedroom at the wee hours of the morning on Nov. 5.

This allegedly prompted the burglar to grab an air rifle from the wall and use it to bash in the head of the 78-year-old painter.

According to testimony, the defendant then grabbed dozens of wristwatches and Rp 200,000 in cash that he found in a drawer. He put them into a small bag, and stole a shirt to cover the blood on his own. Then he left the house without waking any of the other people in the house.

There were only five people who lived at the house at that time. They were Basuki Abdullah, two maid servants, a night guard and the painter's Thai wife Nattaya Nareerat, who slept in a separate bedroom upstairs.

Agus added that the police had testified that the defendant's finger prints were also found in the house.

The court was adjourned until next Wednesday to hear another defense statement. (09)