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.