Tommy's alleged hitmen may face 14 years for murder

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Prosecutors demanded on Friday a 14-year sentence each for the two accomplices of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra in the assassination of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita last July allegedly ordered and funded by Tommy.

Chief prosecutor Abdul Kamar Badrun presented the sentence recommendation for R. Maulawarman, alias Molla, and Noval Hadad at the Central Jakarta District Court.

Molla, 35, and Noval, 26, according to Abdul, are guilty of violating Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder and Emergency Law No 12/1951 on illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Both articles carry a maximum penalty of death.

"Evidence and witnesses reveal that the defendants had committed premeditated murder," Abdul said.

The defendants appeared calm upon hearing the sentence demand.

According to prosecutors, Tommy told his other accomplice, Dody Hardjito, that he wanted to kill Syafiuddin with his own hands. Tommy asked Dody to drive a motorcycle while Tommy, in the passenger seat, would shoot Syafiuddin. As Dody was afraid to carry out such a risky maneuver, Tommy then asked him to find a hitman.

Dody introduced Molla to Tommy in July 2001, according to the prosecutors.

In the middle of July, Molla met Tommy and asked the billionaire to pay Rp 200 million with a down payment of Rp 30 million to assassinate the judge who sentenced him. On the same day, Tommy paid him US$20,000. Molla then recruited Noval, who claimed that he had once killed a man in his hometown in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. Noval agreed to do the shooting as Molla promised him Rp 50 million for the job, the prosecutors said.

On July 26, at about 7:30 a.m., Syafiuddin was shot to death in the Sunter Jaya area of North Jakarta, on his way to work. The murder was committed by Mola and Noval, who rode the motorcycle. It was Noval who shot Syafiuddin, according to prosecutors.

After the murder, Molla reported the result to Tommy and gave Rp 50 million to Noval.

Tommy, the youngest son of former president Soeharto, is currently being tried in the same court. He faces four charges: the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition at Soeharto family-owned Cemara Apartment in Central Jakarta and in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta; the premeditated murder of Syafiuddin as well as fleeing from justice.

He could face the death penalty, if convicted.

On Thursday, prosecutors asked the South Jakarta District Court to sentence Dody to six years in jail.

Prosecutor Abdul told reporters after Friday's hearing that the sentence recommendation was made by his institution.

"We consider the sentence equal to the crime the defendants did," he said when reporters questioned why the prosecutors did not ask for a maximum sentence regarding the seriousness of the crime the defendants did.

Syafiuddin was one of the judges who sentenced Tommy to 18 months jail term for graft in September 2000.

Tommy had asked for a presidential pardon. But President Abdurrahman Wahid rejected the request, and Tommy went underground. After more than one year in hiding, Tommy was arrested by the police in November last year.