Officials mull new prison for Tommy

JAKARTA: Officials from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights are considering transferring Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra to a penitentiary outside Jakarta.

Officials from ministry and the Jakarta office of the ministry visited the Sukamiskin penitentiary in Bandung, West Java, on Monday to asses its readiness and security situation.

The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights director of public relations said on Monday that the visit was aimed at assessing the situation in the penitentiary.

"It is not yet certain if Tommy will be transferred from Cipinang jail. We want to evaluate the readiness of Sukamiskin penitentiary (to accommodate Tommy)," he said.

Jakarta Justice and Human Rights Ministry office head Marjaman, meanwhile, said his team would also visit penitentiaries in Semarang in Central Java, and Surabaya in East Java.

Tommy, the youngest son of former president Sohearto, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on July 26 by the Central Jakarta court for masterminding the murder of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, illegal possession of arms and ammunition, and fleeing justice. He did not appeal the verdict. --JP