Tommy among remission recipients on Independence Day

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who has barely started his jail term for masterminding Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita's assassination and illegally possessing firearms, was among inmates receiving remission in conjunction with Independence Day on Saturday.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said, as quoted by Antara, the government had granted remission to 35,524 inmates of a total of 73,794 inmates nationwide, with 3,679 of them leaving prison early as a result.

Tommy was granted one month's remission from his 15-year sentence although he has only just begun serving his term, having been inside for less than a month. A 1999 presidential decree stipulates that a convict deserves remission if he or she has served at least six months of detention.

The youngest son of former president Soeharto was transferred from Cipinang Penitentiary, East Jakarta, to a maximum-security prison on Nusakambangan, an island off the Central Java town of Cilacap, on Thursday.

He was placed in a cell next door to that of Mohammad "Bob" Hasan, Soeharto's golfing buddy and long-time business associate, in Batu Penitentiary, one of three prisons on the island.

Bob, who is serving a six-year jail sentence for corruption, had his sentence reduced by five months.

"Bob was initially granted three months' remission but received an additional two months to reward him for donating his blood 15 times," Batu penitentiary warden Soemantri told reporters.

"Bob is also actively involved in helping other inmates rehabilitate themselves."

Tommy was mobbed by a group of women, some of them prison workers, who asked to have their photos taken with him. That took place after a ceremony held to mark the extension of inmates' remission.

"I'm just fine here," a smiling Tommy told journalists, who were given a rare glimpse of the penitentiary in conjunction with Independence Day celebrations.

Tommy's name was on a list of 1,187 inmates in Cipinang who received remission of varying periods this year, with 160 inmates discharged as a result. There were also another five inmates who were released after serving their term in jail.

In Pakjo Penitentiary in the South Sumatra capital of Palembang, all 69 adult and 17 child inmates, released after receiving remission, were each awarded Rp 250,000 in cash by Governor Rosihan Arsyad and Mayor Husni.

In Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, M. Fahrial, alias Ical, 21, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing his father, mother and three of his siblings in 1997, had his jail term reduced by four months.

Ical, who has been held at Tanjung Gusta Penitentiary since October 2000, told Antara he had become a changed person as he was now a devout Muslim.

The remission sparked an envious reaction from fellow inmate Ahmad Suradji, who was sentenced to death in 1997 for killing 42 women. Ahmad regretted that his appeal for a review of the court verdict had not been responded to by the Supreme Court.