Plea of Iranian suspect in drug deal turned down

JAKARTA (JP): The prosecutor in the trial of an Iranian charged with trafficking 200 grams of heroin turned down the plea of the defendant's lawyer yesterday.

At the West Jakarta District Court, prosecutor Frits Piri insisted his indictment against the defendant, Mansour Abbasi, is already in accordance with the law.

If convicted, Abbasi, 38, faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.

He could also be fined Rp 20 million (US$85,875) or be imprisoned for another six months.

Frits said it was unreasonable for the lawyers to say that the indictment raises doubts just because it contained many charges.

"Indicting a defendant on more than one charge is what the public prosecutors usually do," he said.

"In this case, the defendant will face a second charge if the first charge is not proven," he added.

According to the prosecutor, the defendant came to Jakarta with his friend Amir Mesmirejad from Bangkok on a tourist visa.

On arrival at the Menteng Hotel in Central Jakarta, the defendant vomited out 75 heroin capsules and then delivered them to a man called Bahman Majid on Jl. Jaksa, Central Jakarta.

The nationalities of Mesmirejad and Majid were not revealed.

Two days later, Bahman asked the defendant to stay in room No. 224 at the Permata Hotel, on Jl. Suryo Pranoto, West Jakarta, to wait for a prospective buyer.

The customer, who turned out to be an undercover police office, came on Jan. 17. The defendant was apprehended when the transaction was about to take place.

In the trial presided over by Chaidir Anwar, the defendant was accompanied by an interpreter.

In a previous session of July 2, the defendant told the court that his original destination was Australia. He said he was only in Indonesia for sightseeing.

He denied that he smuggled the heroin capsules by swallowing them, but said he had hidden them in his shoes.

He also told the court that he had been using the heroin for over six months.

The trial was adjourned to Aug. 12 when the judge is expected to read the verdict. (26)