'Judge killed by gun found at Tommy's hideout'
'Judge killed by gun found at Tommy's hideout'
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Supreme Court Judge M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita was killed by a
bullet that came from one of six guns found at a home rented by
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra in Pondok Indah, an expert testified
on Wednesday.
"Based on the ballistics tests, we found that several bullets
found in the victim's body and at the location where the murder
took place came from a nine-millimeter Baretta gun," Lt. Col.
Chomsi Syafrian Simin told the court.
The Baretta was found in a home on Jl. Alam Segar, Pondok
Indah, South Jakarta, used as a hideout by Tommy to avoid a jail
term.
The term was imposed by Judge Syafiuddin who sentenced Tommy
to 18-months jail in 2000 for corruption.
"The registration number of the Baretta had been removed, but
we could still read it after we treated it with a certain
chemical solution," Chomsi said during the trial, presided over
by Judge Amiruddin Zakaria.
"The Baretta is commonly used in the military. The police do
not use it," Chomsi added.
Syafiuddin was shot to death on his way to his office on July
26, last year. At the time, Tommy was still on the run.
Tommy asked the panel of judges to assign "an independent
expert" to reexamine the bullets. The judges refused his request.
The youngest son of former authoritarian president Soeharto is
accused of masterminding the assassination of Syafiuddin. He also
faces three other charges, namely two counts of illegal
possession of weapons and one of fleeing from justice.
If found guilty of the murder and weapon charges, he could be
sentenced to death.
Earlier in the day, doctor Abdul Mun'im Idris -- who carried
out Syafiuddin's autopsy -- said three shots passed through
Syafiuddin's body while the fatal fourth bullet lodged in his
head.
"The shooting was at close range, between 50 to 60 centimeters
away," Mun'im said.
Tommy allegedly hired two men to kill Syafiuddin. The two
gunmen, R. Maulawarman and Noval Hadad, have been sentenced to
life in prison.
The defense also presented an expert from the police forensics
laboratory and two criminal law experts who will testify next
week when the trial resumes.