Tommy upset by guilty verdict, witness says

Tommy upset by guilty verdict, witness says

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Elza Syarief, the lawyer of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra,
testified before the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday in
a case on the murder of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin
Kartasasmita.

On trial was Noval Hadad and R. Maulawarman, alias Molla,
acquaintances of Tommy's.

Elza quoted Tommy as saying about his 18-month sentenced
passed down by Syafiuddin, R. Sunu Wahadi and Paulus E. Lotulung:
"What did I do wrong that made you sentence me? This verdict
disturbs me."

According to Elza, she, along with her husband and Tommy's
business colleague Kennedy Nanik, accompanied Tommy to visit
Syafiuddin at his second wife's residence in Cipayung, East
Jakarta.

She claimed that Tommy never threatened Syafiuddin.

Monday's hearing also heard the testimonies of Tommy's
bodyguards, Dedi Sutaedi Yusuf and Ferry Hukom.

Dedi said he had been instructed by another of Tommy's
acquaintances, Hetty Siti Hartika, to sketch the location of the
residences of the three justices who sentenced Tommy.

"I received an envelope containing the instructions at Le
Meridien hotel (on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta)," he said.

Ferry acknowledged that he had drawn directions to the three
justices' residences.

"Dedi told me to do so," he said.

Dedi and Ferry have been sentenced to 16 months and 14 months
in jail respectively for arranging fake documents for Tommy, who
at that time was still on the run. They are currently imprisoned
at Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta.

Hetty is serving a four-year jail term in Pondok Bambu
Penitentiary, East Jakarta, for the possession of illegal
firearms and ammunition belonging to Tommy.

None of the three have been tried for their alleged roles in
the murder.

Syafiuddin was shot dead while driving to his office from his
house in Jl. Lamtana, Sunter, North Jakarta, on July 26, 2001.

Noval and Molla were accused of shooting the victim upon the
instruction of Tommy, who escaped imprisonment on Nov. 4, 2000
after former president Abdurrahman Wahid refused to grant him a
presidential pardon. Tommy was arrested a year later.

Tommy, whose trial will start on March 20, will stand trial
for the murder of Syafiuddin, the illegal possession of
ammunition and firearms and flight of justice.

He has been detained at the Cipinang Penitentiary in East
Jakarta since Feb. 20.