No presidential decree, no Tommy, lawyer says

No presidential decree, no Tommy, lawyer says

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto's son Hutomo "Tommy"
Mandala Putra will not present himself to authorities until he
receives a presidential decree rejecting his plea for a pardon,
one of Tommy's lawyers said on Sunday.

"There is no way I'll surrender my client to the South Jakarta
Prosecutor's Office before the Office hands him the presidential
decree and an official summons demanding that he show up at the
Office for the related matter," Nudirman told The Jakarta Post
over the phone.

"Prosecutors must learn to put legal procedures into
practice... They must hand over the decree and a summons to my
client, so that prosecutors can execute the Supreme Court's
verdict accordingly."

Meanwhile, Chief of the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office
Antasari Azhar said on Sunday that he did not want to "deal with"
Nudirman.

"I'd rather deal with Tommy's other lawyers (Erman Umar or
L.L.M. Samosir). I have sent the summons on the decree, dated
Nov. 2 this year, to Tommy's residence. I have it filed with me.
I don't understand what Nudirman is talking about," Antasari told
the Post.

He added that Monday was the deadline for the execution of the
Supreme Court's verdict, which orders Tommy to serve an 18-month
prison sentence and requires him to repay some Rp 30.7 billion
(US$3.3 million) in state losses, plus a Rp 10 million fine.

"After Monday, a police manhunt will be initiated to get him,"
Antasari said.

The defendant disappeared on Friday from his Menteng
residence, one place that has not been searched by the police.

When asked whether Tommy was still visiting his mother's grave
in Surakarta or was already back in the capital, Nudirman said:
"No, no. He is back in Jakarta. I just had a long conversation
with him, right before your call."

Earlier, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said that a police
manhunt would be executed to track down the fugitive but only if
he fails to show up on Monday.

Nudirman added that it was illegal for prosecutors to have
labeled the defendant as being on the run, as the defendant had
yet to receive the presidential decree.

Antasari's threat to jail Tommy by force should he fail to
present himself to authorities on Monday is the second of its
kind. The first threat proved empty when Tommy was declared
"lost" by prosecutors on Friday, after he successfully evaded
receiving the presidential decree rejecting his plea for a
pardon.

Marzuki, however, said that he believed Tommy had not fled the
country and would meet the deadline on Monday.

Nudirman, who had gone to Tommy's residence on Jl. Rasamala
III/24 in Central Jakarta, also denied knowing of Tommy's
whereabouts.

Unlike Tommy, his business associate Ricardo Gelael presented
himself to the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office on Friday
evening and was brought to the Cipinang penitentiary in East
Jakarta at 9:05 p.m.

President Abdurrahman Wahid had refused on Thursday to pardon
Tommy and Ricardo, both major shareholders of wholesaler PT Goro
Batara Sakti, who were found guilty of causing Rp 76.7 billion in
losses to the state.

The President issued a decree rejecting the appeal and
ordered Tommy to serve the 18-month sentence handed down by the
Supreme Court. (ylt)