Verdict on Bob Hasan to be handed down on Friday

Verdict on Bob Hasan to be handed down on Friday

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta District Court will hand
down the verdict for timber tycoon Muhamad Bob Hasan, a defendant
in the US$244 million fraudulent aerial mapping project, next
Friday.

Presiding judge Soebardi said on Friday the verdict would be
presented in the next session as the prosecutors said they would
not prepare a counter statement against the lawyers' defense.

Earlier in the day, the defense team, led by Agustinus
Hutajulu, read the defense statement, saying that their client
was innocent and asked the court to free him from all charges.

In the previous hearing, prosecutors had asked the district
court to sentence the 70-year old Hasan to eight years in jail
and requested the court to order the defendant to return the ill-
gotten money to the state and fine him Rp 30 million.

However, in the 218-page defense statement signed by four
lawyers it stated that the prosecutors have failed to prove their
indictment.

"Therefore, we request the panel of judges to declare the
defendant innocent, exonerate him of all charges and restore his
name, Hutajulu said.

After he finished reading the defense, judge Soebardi
postponed the hearing for an hour and asked prosecutors whether
or not they would prepare a counter statement.

"We stick by our demands, we will not file a counter
statement," chief prosecutor Arnold Angkouw said.

When Soebardi then asked the lawyers' for their response,
Hutajulu said the lawyers would also stick to their defense.

"So, the decision rests on the panel of judges," Soebardi
said, before adjourning the session until next Friday. (01)