Tight security planned for Tommy's trial on March 20
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The murder trial of former president Soeharto's youngest son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, is scheduled to begin on March 20 at the Central Jakarta District Court amid tight security.
Court spokesman Judge Andi Samsan Nganro said that the trial would be handled by a panel of judges chaired by Amiruddin Zakaria, with the members being I Ketut Gede and Andi himself.
"We have requested that the police provide security for Tommy's trial," Andi told reporters on Monday.
The same panel of judges is currently trying Tommy's aides, Noval Hadad and R. Maulawarman, alias Molla, who are charged in the murder case of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita.
Tommy, 40, is believed to have masterminded the murder of Syafiuddin, one of the judges who sentenced him to 18 months in jail for corruption.
Many believe that the trial will be a test case for reform of the country's legal system. Soeharto has been charged with graft before, but the South Jakarta District Court later ruled that he was too ill to stand trial.
Amiruddin is the judge who sentenced Endin Wahyudin, a witness who reported a bribery scandal in the Supreme Court, to three months in jail for defaming two Supreme Court justices.
He had also ordered former president Abdurrahman Wahid to pay a fine of Rp 500 million to the former secretary general of the Forestry Ministry, Suripto, in a defamation case.
His colleague, Andi, sentenced four Papuan university students to nearly four months' imprisonment each for disturbing the peace at an anti-government rally last year -- instead of toppling the government, as accused by prosecutors.
Andi had ruled in favor of 43 slum residents -- and against the Central Jakarta municipality and state-owned railway company PT KAI -- for failing to evict and relocate the shanty residents "professionally."
The government appointed Andi, who had written legal articles in several local magazines and newspapers, as one of ad hoc judges to try human rights cases.
Ketut ruled in favor of 17 journalists of Moneter Indonesia newspaper who sued their employer, PT Grafika Medialoka Press, in a labor dispute.
Tommy is accused of masterminding the murder of Syafiuddin, who was shot to death on July 26 of last year before he was in police custody.
He escaped on Nov. 4, 2000, however, after then-president Abdurrahman Wahid turned down his request for a presidential pardon, and was arrested again a year later.
Tommy will also be charged with illegal possession of ammunition and firearms, and for fleeing arrest.
Police officials had earlier accused him of plotting a series of bombings in the capital and other cities in the country, but later dropped the charges due to the lack of evidence.
Tommy has been held at the Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta since Feb. 20.