Officials mull new prison for Tommy

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