Tommy defendants deny committing crime

Tommy defendants deny committing crime

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

None of the three defendants tried at the Tangerang District
Court on Wednesday for harboring fugitive Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandala
Putra expressed regret at protecting the youngest son of former
President Soeharto during his flight from justice.

"I knew that Tommy was a fugitive and I did not report his
whereabouts to the police because I wanted to help him,"
Regina Ursula Sandy, 37, one of the defendants, told the court.

Responding to prosecutor Puji Raharjo's questions, Sandy,
popularly known as Sandy Harun, said that she had advised and
persuaded Tommy to surrender soon because she had a strong
feeling the police would soon discover his whereabouts.

Former model Sandy strongly denied having let Tommy stay in
her home. "My former husband Setiawan Djodi had threatened to
shoot me if I allowed Tommy to stay in my residence," said
Sandy. Setiawan Djodi is a noted businessman.

The other two defendants were Rossana Hasan Razak, 55, widow
of a former Army officer, and Rossana's son Bill Haq, 25.

Tommy was sentenced to 18 months in prison, along with
businessman Richardo Gelael, for corruption by the Supreme Court
in September 2000, but he escaped, instead of going to jail.

Sandy said that Tommy had asked her for the phone number of
Rossana's home at Jl. Maleo II, Bintaro Jaya, Pondok Aren,
Tangerang, where Tommy was caught by the police on Nov. 28, 2001.

However, defendant Rossana denied having rented her house to
Tommy as a hiding place, saying she had first refused Tommy's
request and told him to surrender.

She said, however, she finally allowed Tommy to stay in her
residence for only two days, after Tommy urged her again.

"I took pity on him; I simply wanted to help him and did not
realize that what I did for Tommy was against the law. Therefore
I never felt guilty," she told the court.

She added that Tommy had visited her house three times in
August, October, and November 2001. He had stayed ten days in the
house before the police arrested him in November 2001, she added.

A similar statement of innocence was also made by Bill Haq. He
said that he had not expected to be tried for just following what
his mother had said (about helping Tommy).

"I just followed my mother's orders. I had once taken Tommy
home (to his mother's house) from Pondok Indah, and once from the
Jakarta Stock Exchange. I am very sorry for doing what my mother
had asked."

The defendants are charged with violating Articles 55, 64 and
221 of the Criminal Code. The Articles carry a maximum punishment
of nine months in jail.

Presiding judge Zainal Arifin adjourned the trial to Sept. 18,
when prosecutors will make their sentence demand.

The trial of the three defendants has, however, proceeded
without the presence of Tommy as a key witness. Tommy always
failed to show up until he was declared guilty and sentenced to
14 years' imprisonment. Now he is serving his sentence at
Nusakambangan prison, Central Java, on an island.

Tommy was found guilty of masterminding the killing of Supreme
Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, fleeing justice and
illegal possession of firearms.