Lawyers say charges absurd

BOGOR (JP): The defense lawyers for two men charged with being accessories to robbery and murder on the Jagorawi toll road said here yesterday the indictments were unclear and should be dropped.

In the defendants' separate trials, their lawyers Almuzfar, Mansjur Abubakar and Castrio Pandji Indra told the courts their clients, Erling Doly Wijaya and Heri Faisal, had not directly committed the robbery or murdered the driver.

The charges say that Erling, alias Mikel or Handoko, watched the robbery from his Mercedes, while Heri, alias Hendrik, climbed out of a Kijang and smashed in the windshield of the victim's sedan with a sickle.

Zaenudin Lesmana, a private company employee, was shot and killed during the robbery and Rp 312 million was stolen from the trunk of his car.

In previous hearings, the prosecutors said that Zaenudin was shot by a friend of the defendants, Budiarto. But it was not clear who stole the money from the Hyundai sedan.

Budiarto and two accomplices, Iskandar and Iedfil Jaya Anwar are still at large. The prosecutors said Iedfil planned the fatal robbery.

They said the defendants had violated Article 339 and Article 365 Paragraph 4 of the Criminal Code. These relate to premeditated murder and violators may face the death penalty.

The lawyers said yesterday that these charges should not have been laid against their clients, judging from their minor roles in the crime.

The trials are apparently still attractive to the public. The court was packed. Zaenudin's daughter, Visca, was among the spectators.

The trial was adjourned until next Monday. (sur/24)