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.