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.