Tommy calm despite death penalthy threat

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former president Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra went on trial on Wednesday for allegedly masterminding the murder of Supreme Court justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita who convicted him for corruption.

The trial was held at the Central Jakarta District Court under heavy security with 400 police officers and a bomb squad on guard.

At the main entrance police checked visitors' bags and screened them with a metal detector while on the second story of the court building, visitors were required to show their ID card.

Tommy arrived in a paddy wagon about 10 a.m. and was met by dozens of local and international journalists who bombarded the defendant with questions and flashing lights. But Tommy, clad in a long-sleeved batik shirt, just smiled and remained silent.

Tommy, 40, was not handcuffed and was herded directly into the courtroom.

The once untouchable millionaire playboy still has many supporters, a number of whom packed the courtroom long before the trial started. They yelled "Hidup (Long life) Tommy".

Even though he could face a the death penalty if found guilty, Tommy remained relaxed during the trial. He held his praying beads during the first half of the session before putting them in his shirt pocket.

Tommy was facing four charges: the murder of Syafiuddin, the illegal possession of ammunition and firearms and fleeing from justice.

According to the 29-page indictment, read out alternately by prosecutors Andi Rahman Asbar and Hasan Madani, Tommy had held a grudge against Syafiuddin since he was found guilty of corruption in October 2000.

As that time, Tommy visited Syafiuddin at his house, asking why he was convicted. Syafiuddin explained that the palace had intervened and suggested Tommy ask for a judicial review.

As Tommy was preparing to leave the house, he shook Syafiuddin's hand and said: "If someone is nice to me, I could be nicer, but if someone is mean, I could be more mean."

Tommy later asked for a presidential pardon and a judicial review but on Nov. 2, 2000, then president Abdurrahman Wahid rejected the request. Tommy escaped the following day.

Syafiuddin was shot to death on July 26 last year on his way to work.

According to the indictment, Tommy recruited Maulawarman, also known as Molla, and Noval Hadad to carry out the murder.

Currently, the two are being tried at the same court. Both of them, however, have withdrawn their statements to police that they were hired by Tommy.

On page 19 of Tommy's indictment, the prosecutors said that Tommy met his friend Dody Hardjito on several occasions and told him about his murder plan. Dody, however, was afraid because it was dangerous, and suggested another man help Tommy.

The prosecutors said that the two met between late June and early July. The prosecutors said that early in June Dody met Maulawarman to inform him about the murder plan.

The prosecutors also told the hearing, presided over by Judge Amiruddin Zakaria, that the defendant had illegally owned and kept dozens of firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition illegally.

The indictment did not mention where Tommy got the weapons.

According to the indictment, Tommy had ordered the manager of Cemara Apartments, Hetty Siti Hartika, to keep the firearms and ammunition in the apartment, which is owned by Soeharto's family.

Last month, Hetty was sentenced by the same court to four years in jail for the case. But Hetty denied any wrongdoing and has appealed. During the trial, she also denied that the firearms and ammunition belonged to Tommy.

Other ammunition and firearms allegedly owned by Tommy were found in a rented house in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta.

The prosecutors said in the indictment that in April 2000, Tommy ordered Dody to rent the house.

Dody is currently being tried at the South Jakarta District Court for his role in the premeditated murder. But during the trial, he has always protected Tommy.

Despite the fact that the indictment has some weakness, Tommy's lawyers, comprising M. Assegaf, OC Kaligis, Juan Felix Tampubolon, Indriyanto Seno Adjie and Elza Syarief, did ask the court to throw out the indictment.

Kaligis said they accepted the indictment because they wanted to accelerate the legal process.

But Elza presented a statement condemning Tommy's trial by media.

The court adjourned the hearing for a week to present seven witnesses.