Law enforcers come under fire over fugitive Tommy

Law enforcers come under fire over fugitive Tommy

JAKARTA (JP): Police and state prosecutors came under fire on
Friday for failing to arrest Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra who has
been convicted in a Rp 76.7 billion corruption case.

The so far unsuccessful hunt for the youngest son of former
president Soeharto, who has been declared a fugitive, prompted
human rights activist Frans Hendra Winata to question the
authorities' ability in dealing with the high-profile case.

"What have the Attorney General's Office and the National
Police done in searching for Tommy? I'm skeptical that the police
and government prosecutors are not aware of the possible places
in the country Tommy may be hiding," he said in a discussion
organized by RCTI TV station here on Friday.

Frans, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights,
said he suspected a plot between Tommy and his lawyers so that
the authorities could not put him in jail.

"It's strange that although Tommy's lawyers have had several
phone contacts with their client, they do not know of his
whereabouts. They are also busy defending the innocence of their
client," he said.

He also regretted President Abdurrahman Wahid's secret meeting
with Tommy because besides raising public speculation, the
meeting was not justifiable or ethical.

Frans said that despite Tommy's escape, the authorities must
execute the Supreme Court's decision to ensure the certainty of
law in Indonesia.

"This means Tommy must be arrested as soon as possible," he
said, adding it would be better for Tommy to give up and serve
his jail term.

Nudirman Munir, Tommy's lawyer, said in the discussion that
his client was at large today because he felt he was innocent and
that the authorities discriminated against him in handling the
corruption case.

"I can prove that my client is not guilty of the charges and
that the authorities had discriminated against him," he said.

He said 25 witnesses testified that the government had
suffered no material losses, meaning the corruption charges were
baseless.

"What we regret is that the panel of judges ignored the 25
witnesses' testimonies and accepted the testimonies of two expert
witnesses who insisted the government had suffered Rp 90 billion
in material losses in the land swap deal," he said, citing that
the 25 witnesses gave their testimonies under oath while the two
experts gave only their opinions.

He said authorities were also discriminative because the
president's rejection of his client's request for a pardon was
issued in less than a month, whereas normally a head of state
would take longer before deciding on such an appeal.

Loebby Loqman, a professor of law at the University of
Indonesia, questioned Tommy's motive in seeking a pardon from the
head of state if he had felt he was innocent, saying Tommy should
have first appealed to the Supreme Court.

"Such a thing is not normal in the judiciary system. Tommy has
actually lost the case and that is why he has cried out that
there is no justice in Indonesia," he said.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) faction at the House of
Representatives called on the police and the Attorney General's
Office to arrest Tommy to ensure the supremacy of law.

"The police and government prosecutors should work harder in
finding Tommy. They will come under fire if they fail to execute
the court's decision on Tommy," Taufikkurrahman Saleh, chairman
of the faction said.(01/rms/jun)