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