Prosecutor's demand upsets court

TANGERANG (JP): A prosecutor's demand to sentence a South Korean national, the sole defendant in a murder case, to 18 months in jail sparked anger on Thursday in Tangerang District Court.

The demand, read by prosecutor Mawardi Hasim, upset court visitors and also stunned the panel of judges presided over by Satria US Gumai.

Article 338 of the Criminal Code states that a person guilty of such a crime can receive a 15 year term of imprisonment.

Some of the visitors accused the prosecutor of receiving a Rp 100 million (US$12,500) bribe from the 33-year-old defendant, Jang Kim Won.

Judge Satria said however: "It is just a demand (from the prosecutor). Let's see the verdict later."

During the trial session, the prosecutor said that Jang stabbed Kim Jae Chun, 34, also a South Korean national, to death with a knife several times on Jan. 15.

Jang and Kim, along with three other Koreans, went out for a drink that evening at a Mangga Besar nightspot in West Jakarta. They later moved on to a karaoke hall in Taman Cibodas, Tangerang. All five work for the same company in Cukanggalih, Tangerang.

On their way back home, Jang and Kim became involved in a dispute which preceded the incident, the prosecutor said.

Several local lawyers believed that the light punishment demanded by the prosecutor was mainly due to the absence of the head of the general crime section at the district court.

One lawyer said the acting head had attempted to take advantage of the situation.

"For him, it's a great opportunity. When will they have such a good chance to get a big fish like this time?," said the lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous. (41/09)