Prosecutor engineering the trial: Defendant

Prosecutor engineering the trial: Defendant

JAKARTA (JP): Eng San alias Hasan, a defendant at a murder
trial in North Jakarta District Court, has said that prosecutor
Andhi Nirwanto engineered the trial, where Eng San was the main
suspect, to make him look guilty.

"The prosecutor has slandered and accused me of doing things I
never did. He even accused me of faking my illness, neglecting
doctor and hospital certificates which confirmed that I was
sick," Eng San said on Monday.

The prosecutor asked the panel of judges earlier to sentence
Eng San to 14 years' imprisonment for provoking people to kill
Nyo Beng Seng, his business rival.

Eng San said the prosecutor's inability to present Kiki
Arianto, one of three witnesses asked by the judges to testify,
to give an individual testimony proved the prosecutor was afraid
that the truth would be revealed. All three witnesses had already
given written testimonies.

"I think the prosecutor was scared that if all three witnesses
gave individual testimonies, the trial would not turn out this
way," Eng San said.

Earlier this month, presiding judge Bhaedowie had asked
prosecutor and defense lawyers -- Sudjono, Teguh Samudera, and
Harjono Tjitrosoebono -- to bring in the three witnesses, Kiki
Arianto, A Gu, and Hong Lie, to the trial, because their written
testimonies were unclear.

The three witnesses were also wanted by police for their
involvement in the murder case.

The prosecutor and defense lawyers were unable to present any
of their witnesses due to a number of unclear reasons.

The prosecutor said he could not find Kiki, who was believed
to be living in Bekasi, while defense lawyers were unable to
present Hong Lie and A Gu because the two live in Hong Kong and
asked for a one-week postponement to prepare for their return to
Indonesia.

Eng San told the court that Kiki and his friend, Leo Kartono,
are the ones who planned the murder.

The defendant also asked the panel of judges not to be
influenced by the prosecutor's tricks. "In the name of God I deny
and curse the sentence request, and I ask the prosecutor not to
slander other people without strong evidence."

Eng San also said that he was once told by a certain
prosecutor to run away, but as Eng San refused to do so, he was
forced to face the current trial.

Agiono and Atok, who were found guilty of murdering Beng Seng
last August, are now serving 20-year and 15-year jail terms,
respectively, while Tjen Piu, got nine years' imprisonment last
October for escorting the two convicts to Nyo Beng Seng's
mansion. (03/12)