Trial of Tommy's accomplice postponed

Trial of Tommy's accomplice postponed

JAKARTA: Prosecutors failed on Monday to present the sentence
demand for Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra's accomplice, Dody
Hardjito, who is on trial for his alleged role in the murder of
Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita last year.

Chief prosecutor Ismanto told reporters at the South Jakarta
District Court that he was not yet ready to present the
recommendation.

"We have not finished making the recommendation. The hearing
will resume on Thursday," he said after meeting with the judges
privately.

Dody, 39, was tried for allegedly introducing two hit men to
Tommy, who is believed to have ordered them to kill Syafiuddin.

However, Tommy never testified in the trial. He was summoned
three times, but refused to appear. Last week, he claimed that he
had a toothache that prevented him from attending the hearing.

Both the prosecutor and the panel of judges, presided over by
Tusani Djafri, did not object to his absence.

According to the indictment, at Tommy's request, Dody also
rented a house in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, which was used by
Tommy while he was a fugitive.

The police found last year several firearms, ammunition and
maps showing the location of the houses of the three Supreme
Court justices, who had sentenced him to 18 months in jail for
graft. -- JP