Three months sought for taking Tommy's money
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Prosecutors on Tuesday proposed a three-month prison term for Islamic school leader Abdullah Sidiq Muin who stands trial for allegedly swindling Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the son of former president Soeharto to the tune of Rp 15 billion (US$1.79 million).
Prosecutor Hendra Ruhendra told the hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court that the team established their demand based on a written agreement in which the defendant promised to help Tommy obtain a presidential pardon for an amount of money.
"In the letter Kyai Sidiq pledged to return the money if he failed to help Tommy obtain the pardon. Tommy was denied a pardon, but the defendant did not return the money." Hendra said, reading the argument.
Responding to the lenient sentence demand, Sidiq's lawyers deducted that the prosecutors did not have any substantial evidence to secure the case, but were reluctant to set the defendant free.
"Until now, the prosecutors have not presented before the court the authentic written agreement in which our client declared his willingness to facilitate the pardon as well as a number of key witnesses in the case," lawyer Budi Santoso told The Jakarta Post after the trial.
He referred to former president Abdurrahman Wahid who refused to grant Tommy a pardon, Tommy's elder sister Siti Hardiyanti "Tutut" Rukmana who accompanied him in the meeting with Sidiq and Wahid, Dion Hardi who was an aide of Tommy and believed to be the author of the agreement, as well as the real culprit in the case Raden Dodi Sumadi, who is still at large.
Sidiq, the head of At-Tauhid Islamic boarding school in Kediri, East Java, is said to have asked for the money to arrange a meeting between Tommy and Wahid to discuss the possibility of obtaining a pardon from the visually impaired former president.
Tommy, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison on corruption charges, was not granted the pardon and fled before serving his sentence. He is now serving a 15-year prison term in Nusakambangan prison island, Central Java, for ordering the killing of a Supreme Court judge and illegal arms possession he committed on run.
Presiding judge Saparudin Hasibuan set another hearing for April 6 to hear the defense.