Prosecutors demand one-year sentence for Ari Sigit

Prosecutors demand one-year sentence for Ari Sigit

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State prosecutors urged the Central Jakarta District Court on
Monday to sentence former president Soeharto's grandson Ari Sigit
to one year in prison for illegal possession of firearms
ammunition.

Presiding prosecutor Surung Aritonang, who presented the
sentence demand, told the court that the defendant Ari Haryo
Wibowo, popularly known as Ari Sigit, was guilty of illegally
possessing bullets, which were found during a raid on his house
on Jl. Yusuf Adiwinata 6, Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Aug. 13,
2001.

The raid was conducted when detectives were searching for the
defendant's fugitive uncle, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who was
finally apprehended in a house in Bintaro, southern Jakarta, last
week.

Ari, now under house arrest, appeared calm during the session.

Ari had been in jail from Sept. 21 to Oct. 11 at the Salemba
Penitentiary in Central Jakarta. A panel of judges later approved
Ari's request for house arrest following a guarantee by Ari's
father and first son of Soeharto, Sigit Hardjojudanto and his
lawyers. He also had to pay Rp 100 million in bail.

Ari has been charged under an article of Emergency Law No.
12/1951 on illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, which
carries a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment.

Asked if the sentence demand was too light, Surung told
reporters after the trial that the demand was appropriate as he
believed the alleged crime had not caused anyone to suffer.

"Because there was no gun found during the raid, we consider
that elements of deliberateness in possessing the bullets were
not proven in the hearings," he told reporters.

During a raid on Ari's house, the police found 50 nine-
millimeter caliber bullets made by state arms manufacturer Pindad
in addition to 20 Browning .357 Magnum shells. They were found
in a bag belonging to the defendant, which was reportedly
purchased while he and his wife Gusti Maya Firanti Noor were in
the United States.

A report from the Police Crime Laboratory revealed that the
bullets were in good condition and still active.

Surung cited Maya's testimony confirming that his husband once
carried a gun in the house and that Ari's hobby is shooting.

Members of the court, however, could not ask Maya to explain
her statements because she failed to attend the hearing two weeks
ago for unspecified reasons. At that time, the panel of judges
approved prosecutors' request to read out her statement.

"The defendant also admitted that he regularly went to the
shooting range to practice with the presidential security guards
between 1995 to 1996 while his grandfather was still president,"
Surung said in during the sentence request portion of the trial.

The prosecutors did not explain how the bullets could be found
in the bag.

"We don't need explain how he put the bullets in the bag. We
charged him for illegal possession of ammunition and we consider
he is guilty for possessing the bullets," argued Johny Ginting,
another prosecutor.

"This is equivalent to a defendant who is charged with
violating a traffic law. We don't have to answer why he does it,
we concentrate more on the incident."

Presiding judge Herri Swantoro adjourned the hearing until
next week when Ari's defense team will present their side.