Tommy to be arrested Wednesday morning

Tommy to be arrested Wednesday morning

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto's son Hutomo "Tommy"
Mandala Putra would be arrested at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, a
reliable source said at midnight Tuesday.

"Negotiations for Tommy's safety are ongoing. Tommy will
probably either surrender or be arrested at 5 a.m. tomorrow
(Wednesday)," an official close to the prosecution said.

While city police officers and prosecutors were negotiating
with Tommy at his father's residence on Jl. Cendana No. 8, a
group of Muslim preachers held a mass prayer at nearby residence
of Tommy's elder sister Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana in support of
Tommy.

Earlier in the day head of Cipinang Penitentiary Y.A.
Takasiliang vowed that Tommy's security would be guaranteed under
his leadership.

"We are responsible for whatever happens to any prisoner here,
including Tommy Suharto," Takasiliang told reporters at the
penitentiary early Tuesday morning.

"We will all work hard and effectively to keep all prisoners,
including Tommy, safe and well in here. His family should not
worry for his safety in Cipinang prison."

Takasiliang said that even as prison security officers were
prepared to deal with prisoners who might misbehave on Tommy's
arrival in the prison, there would be no "special security"
provided for the criminal.

"We have spoken with 19 senior prisoners to take care of Tommy
in jail, and also have up to 400 security officers to guarantee
security here. Tommy must believe me. He'll be safe in my jail,"
Takasiliang told reporters.

Takasiliang was speaking in reference to startling statements
made by Tommy's lawyer, Bob. R.E. Nasution, early Tuesday
morning.

"Tommy received a death threat at 11:45 p.m. (Monday). He was
ready to surrender himself, as promised, to prosecutors but after
that threat, he was just too scared," Bob told reporters at the
East Jakarta Office of the Ministry of Justice, at 2:15 a.m. on
Tuesday.

"Someone called him up and told him that if he stepped into
Cipinang jail, he would be killed. Even his friend Ricardo
Gelael, called him twice from jail, telling him to just come to
jail... that everything was safe. Tommy didn't care."

Bob said on behalf of Tommy's lawyers that Tommy needed
special security, and hoped to be granted a "special prison
house" to guarantee his safety.

"That's what Tommy hopes for from the government," Bob said.

Separately, spokesman for the Directorate-General of
Immigration, Mursanuddin A. Ghani told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday that the government had issued an overseas travel ban on
Tommy since Oct. 7.

"There is little chance of Tommy fleeing the country as we
have put his name on the travel ban list which is distributed to
114 immigration check points throughout the country," Ghani said,
adding that Tommy was the only member of the Soeharto family who
has been listed on the travel ban list.

He said the travel ban, which is valid for one year, was
requested by the Attorney General's Office.

Efforts to send Tommy to jail ended in failure on Monday as he
managed to evade a second attempt over claims that he had not
received a legalized copy of the presidential decree rejecting
his plea for a pardon.

Even as prosecutors stated that Tommy's lawyers had received
the legalized photocopy of the decree on Monday morning, lawyers
Nudirman Munir and Erman Umar had yet to decide whether to agree
or disagree on the acceptance of the copy.

South Jakarta District Court deputy chief, Soemarno, confirmed
that Tommy's other lawyer, L.L.M. Samosir, had personally
received the copy of the decree.

"Samosir has received the copy certified by the district
court. We delegated the Central Jakarta District Court to hand it
over to the lawyers," Soemarno said on Monday evening.

Clerks of the Central Jakarta District Court had, since Friday
afternoon, been trying to hand the documents to the criminal at
the latter's residence, but to no avail.

Chief of the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office Antasari Azhar
hinted on Monday at the possibility of taking legal action
against Tommy's lawyers for obstructing justice.

Antasari had delivered a deadline of Monday for the execution
of the Supreme Court's verdict, which ordered Tommy to serve an
18-month prison sentence and to repay some Rp 30.7 billion
(US$3.3 million) in state losses, plus a Rp 10 million fine.

The defendant disappeared on Friday from his Menteng
residence, one place that had not been searched by the police.

Unlike Tommy, his business associate Ricardo Gelael presented
himself to the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office on Friday
evening and was brought to the Cipinang Penitentiary in East
Jakarta at 9:05 p.m.

President Abdurrahman Wahid refused last Thursday to pardon
Tommy and Ricardo, both major shareholders of wholesaler PT Goro
Batara Sakti, who were found guilty of causing Rp 76.7 billion in
losses to the state.

The President issued a decree rejecting the appeal and ordered
Tommy to serve the 18-month sentence. (01/45/asa/bby/jaw/ylt)