Prosecutors urge no leniency for Abdul Jabar
Prosecutors urge no leniency for Abdul Jabar
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The prosecution demanded on Thursday that the alleged bomber of
the Philippines ambassador's residence, Abdul Jabar, not be shown
any leniency as the evidence proved beyond all reasonable doubt
that he had been actively involved in the bombing.
Prosecutor Suharto told the Central Jakarta District Court
that Abdul Jabar had been actively involved from the planning
stage right through to the detonation of the bomb in front of the
ambassador's house.
Abdul Jabar was also alleged to have been involved in the
bombing of two churches in Jakarta around the same time.
Suharto said that although the defendant had cooperated
throughout the trial, there was no convincing reason to reduce
the prosecution's sentence recommendation as the bombings had
claimed two lives.
"We, on behalf of all citizens who desire peace in this
country, recommend that he receive the maximum sentence allowed
for this offense," he told the court.
Thursday's session was devoted to the hearing of legal
arguments from the prosecution.
If proven guilty, the defendant could receive the death
penalty. In Indonesia, execution is normally by firing squad.
Wahyu Ramdhani for the defense argued that his client did not
deserve the death penalty as the role he had played was little
more than that of an errand boy.
"He was only a helper rather than someone who aided and
abetted the other perpetrators as claimed in the indictment," he
said.
Along with Dedy Setiono, and Fatur Rohman Al-Ghozi -- who was
convicted in the Philippines on terror charges but recently
escaped from jail and still remains at large -- Jabar admitted to
parking a car containing a bomb outside the residence of the
Philippines ambassador in Central Jakarta on Aug. 1, 2001.
He was assigned to watch the residence and to tell Al-Ghozi
when to detonate the bomb.
The blast killed security guard Sofyan Hendrawan and housemaid
Suhantin, and injured 21 other people, including Ambassador
Leonides T. Caday, who was badly wounded.