Lawyer questions missing held drugs

JAKARTA (JP): A lawyer questioned on Thursday the disappearance of 200 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal metamphetamine) said to be seized from his client.

Lawyer Sammy Titaley from Hotma Sitompul and Partners Law Firm said that he had asked several related parties at the Central Jakarta District Court about the missing 200 grams of the drug but still had been given no adequate answers.

"I asked prosecutor P.D. Manurung about this before today's trial, but he did not answer me," Sammy said.

According to Sammy, he spotted the irregularity during a trial hearing about two weeks ago when Manurung read out the prosecutor's demand.

Manurung told the court at the time that Zaenal Abidin, alias Akian, should be sentenced to three years imprisonment for possessing 800 grams of shabu-shabu, Sammy said.

"But in the prosecutor's indictment, they stated that the weight was 1,000 grams," Sammy added.

The lawyer also questioned why the prosecutor had not presented the evidence before the trial sessions, something which is against existing court procedures.

When asked, Manurung simply argued that he was only quoting the figure from the prosecution's chief witness, Capt. Hendra Jhonny, from the city police.

Akian was arrested on April 8 this year in front of Pesona Bahari apartment on Jl. Mangga Dua in Central Jakarta, while he was allegedly carrying the shabu-shabu. (asa)