Tommy among remission recipient on Idul Fitri

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Multiple-offense convict Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former president Soeharto, was among inmates receiving remission in conjunction with the Islamic Idul Fitri holiday last Friday.

Remission was also granted to his father's golfing buddy, Mohamad "Bob" Hasan, a timber tycoon, who was sentenced to six years in jail for corruption. Both Tommy and Bob are now serving jail terms in Batu prison, one of four penitentiaries situated on maximum security Nusakambangan island, off the Central Java town of Cilacap.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra announced that the government had granted remission to 32,666 inmates of a total 51,003 prisoners nationwide, with 1,515 of them leaving prison early as a result.

The inmates received various reductions in sentence, ranging from two weeks to two months.

"Granting remission for prisoners who have served at least six months of their sentence is an obligation on the government," he said in a speech after Idul Fitri mass prayers at Salemba prison, Central Jakarta.

Yusril referred to Presidential Decree No. 174/1999 on minimum requirements for the grant of sentence reduction. Remission is granted annually in conjunction with Independence Day on Aug. 17 or on holidays, such as Idul Fitri and Christmas.

Tommy, who had just served his first six months in jail for masterminding the assassination of Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, possession of illegal firearms and escape from justice, was granted a one-month reduction on his 15-year sentence.

Earlier, on Independence Day, the government granted him one month's remission, although he had barely started prison life, after the verdict in July. At that time, Yusril argued Tommy had already been in detention for eight months during the trial.

Bob, who was also granted one month's remission last Friday, had his sentence reduced by five months due to good behavior. He had been in prison since February last year.

The remission not only reduced the sentence of the prisoners. Many ended their jail terms as a result, but without the knowledge of their families.

Supratman, in his 40s, was one of four inmates at Salemba prison released last Friday as a result of remission.

He had served one year less than the original six he had been given for his involvement in a robbery. He was granted the remission solely due to his good conduct, which means he never got involved in fights or brawls among prison inmates.

But he still had no idea what he would do on the outside.

"I don't know ... I have to be the breadwinner for my wife and son," Supratman managed to tell reporters while waiting for his family who had yet to hear the good news.

The huge number of prisoners at Salemba, currently 2,348, forced warders to limit the meeting time between prisoners and their families and relatives to no more than 45 minutes per prisoner during the Idul Fitri holiday. The prison's designed capacity is only around 1,300 prisoners.

Warden of Salemba prison Bambang Isbanu said that he estimated more than 3,000 visitors arrived last Friday, so, as a precaution, he ordered prisoners to wear dark-blue uniforms while detainees awaiting trial wore light-blue uniforms to distinguish them from the crowd.

But Nursidah, whose son Herman was detained for fraud, complained.

"Why only 45 minutes? That's what we get on regular days. They should have given us two hours. Today it is Idul Fitri, after all!" she told the Post.