Tommy intimidated judge before murder: Witness

Tommy intimidated judge before murder: Witness

Muningar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The youngest son of former president Soeharto, Hutomo "Tommy"
Mandala Putra had intimidated Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin
Kartasasmita several months before his murder in July last year,
Syafiuddin's second wife testified on Wednesday.

Wearing a stylish kebaya (traditional blouse) and fully made
up, witness Iwah Setiawati was present at the South Jakarta
District Court for the trial of Dody Hardjito.

Dody is being tried for his role in Syafiuddin's murder,
allegedly masterminded by Tommy.

Iwah said that in 2000, Tommy, his lawyer Elza Syarief, Elza's
husband, businessmen Kennedy "Kenny" Nanik and Indra Hasan, as
well as Tommy's bodyguard Dedi Sutaedi Yusuf visited her house on
Jl. Madurasa, Cipayung, East Jakarta, to meet Syafiuddin.

"During the half hour visit, Tommy asked my husband to help
him with his appeal in the Bulog (State Logistics Agency) case,"
Iwah told the hearing, which was presided over by Judge Tusani
Djafri.

The witness said that Elza had visited Iwah's home at least
six times after Syafiuddin was appointed a member of the panel of
judges to examine Tommy's appeal.

"She sang karaoke in my house with me and my family," she
said.

Iwah, however, denied the accusation that she or her husband
received any money from Tommy.

During the trial, Iwah cried while telling the court about her
husband.

Syafiuddin, one of the judges who sentenced Tommy to 18 months
imprisonment, was shot to death on July 26 last year by
defendants Noval Hadad and R. Maulawarman, who are currently on
trial at the Central Jakarta District Court.

Tommy, the alleged mastermind of the crime, is being detained
at Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta. He is expected to be
tried soon after the Jakarta Provincial Prosecutors' Office has
finished making the indictment.

In October 1999, the South Jakarta District Court acquitted
Tommy and business associate Ricardo Gelael, both executives of
the wholesale firm PT Goro Batara Sakti, of all corruption
charges related to a 1995 land exchange deal with Bulog.

However, the Supreme Court sentenced both defendants to 18
months imprisonment in September 2000, ruling that they were
guilty of corruption causing Rp 95.4 billion in losses to the
state.

Last year, another panel of judges at the Supreme Court,
presided over by Judge M. Taufiq, acquitted Tommy of the graft
charges, saying that Tommy should not be held responsible for the
corruption as he no longer played a leading role in PT Goro.