Tommy threatened Syafiuddin: Witness

Tommy threatened Syafiuddin: Witness

JAKARTA: Former president Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo
"Tommy" Mandala Putra had threatened the late Supreme Justice M.
Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, according to witness' testimony on
Monday.

Witness Yopi Prayogo Darmono, a car vendor, said Syafiuddin
met Tommy at his second wife's house, Iwah, in Cipayung, East
Jakarta to discuss Tommy's case.

"If someone is good to me, I'll be good to him but if he is
not then I won't," Yopi quoted Tommy as saying before the hearing
at the Central Jakarta District Court.

Another witness, Untung Surapati, who is a cousin of Iwah,
told the court he had heard Syafiuddin express several times that
he feared he would be murdered after he served on the panel of
judges which sentenced Tommy to 18 months imprisonment for graft
in October 2000.

"The late Syafiuddin asked me once how his wife was able to
buy a brand new Volkswagen," Untung said, pointing to the German
car which cost hundreds of million rupiah.

Yopi and Untung testified on Monday at the hearing of
defendants Noval Hadad and R. Maulawarman who are being tried for
the murder of Syafiuddin last year, which was allegedly
masterminded by Tommy. -- JP