JSX bomb trial commences

JSX bomb trial commences

JAKARTA (JP): The trial of last year's bombing of the Jakarta
Stock Exchange (JSX) building, which claimed 10 lives, began on
Monday at the South Jakarta District Court.

While many had suspected that political motives were behind
the bombing, prosecutor Endang Rachwan told the court that Tengku
Ismuhadi Jafar, 30, the owner of Krung Baro auto repair shop in
Ciganjur, South Jakarta, and his employee, Nuryadin alias Nadin,
29, bombed the building on Sept. 13, 2000, "to increase the
dollar rate" against the rupiah.

Before exploding the bomb, Jafar had bought dollars worth Rp
176 million, the prosecutor said.

At that time, the selling rate for dollars was less than
9,000, while today it is almost Rp 11,000.

The two defendants were accused of violating Article 1
paragraph 1 of Emergency Law No. 12/1951 for possessing and using
ammunition or explosive material.

The crime carries a maximum penalty of death and a minimum 20-
year jail term.

The two defendants allegedly committed the crimes along with
Ibrahim Amd, who escaped from jail in February; member of the
Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Chief Corp. Ibrahim
Hasan and member of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) Chief
Sgt. Irwan, who will be tried separately; as well as Sayed
Mustofa, Tengku Rayang Rayang and Zulkifli, who are still at
large, according to the indictment.

The defendants had appointed a team of 10 lawyers from the
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI),
including Luhut Pangaribuan, who is also President Abdurrahman
Wahid's lawyer.

The prosecutor said that the defendants met on Sept. 8, 2000,
to make a plan to blow up the JSX building on Jl. Sudirman,
Central Jakarta.

"In the meeting, it was discussed that the building would be
bombed on Sept. 13, 2000, one day before former president
Soeharto was scheduled to stand trial, so that people would
suspect that the bombers were Soeharto's people," the prosecutor
said.

The bomb assembled by Irwan and Ibrahim was made of 49 TNT
bars and was put into the trunk of a Toyota Mark II, the
prosecutor said.

On the designated day, at about 1 p.m. Irwan drove the car to
the JSX building and called Jafar that he was on the way. Jafar
and Ibrahim, who had expected their call, immediately went to BNI
46 bank in Pasar Minggu to withdraw cash amounting to Rp 175
million, and then exchanged it into dollars at the Bank Central
Asia in Cilandak.

Meanwhile Irwan parked the car at the basement of JSX, set the
timer, and then left for Plaza Senayan, where Jafar and Ibrahim
were waiting.

The bomb exploded at 3:20 p.m., killing 10 people, injuring 46
others, damaging 179 cars, and destroying parts of the building.

The incident was among a series of bombings which shocked the
country last year, including the explosions at the Malaysian and
Philippine embassies in Jakarta, and the Christmas bombings in
the capital and several other towns. All incidents remain a
mystery.

In the JSX building bombing, the police once connected the
case with the separatist Free Aceh Movement as most suspects were
Acehnese.

Prosecutor Rachwan, however, mentioned nothing about the
separatist movement.

Defendant Nuryadin said after the trial, presided over by
judge Rusmandani Ahmad that the whole thing was construed by
investigators.

The trial will resume next Monday.

Meanwhile, the second session on Monday, in which Ibrahim and
Irwan were supposed to be tried, was adjourned for a week as
Irwan and the suspects' lawyers did not show up.

According to prosecutor Soejitno, Irwan refused to attend the
trial because the situation in Cipinang Penitentiary has not been
normal since last month's riot.

"We just found out about his refusal, so we were unable to
anticipate it," he said, adding that they will force Irwan to
attend the trial next week if he still refuses.

Irwan's lawyer, Jonson Panjaitan, said he had not received the
summons.(hdn)