Verdict on Oki's sentence upheld

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta High Court upheld the Central Jakarta District Court's death sentence verdict for Harnoko Dewantono, alias Oki, who murdered three people in the United States.

A source at the district court said yesterday that a copy of the high court's decision was received on Monday.

"We reproduced copies of the decision yesterday and sent them to the prosecutor and Oki's lawyer Henry Yosodiningrat."

He said the high court's panel of judges, led by Soetarmiati, said that the district court's verdict was correct. The high court hearing took place on Sept. 9.

The district court sentenced Oki to death on May 13 after he was found guilty of killing his Indian business partner, Suresh Mirchandani, an Indonesian business partner, Gina Sutan Aswar, and his younger brother, Tri Harto Darmawan, alias Eri, in Los Angeles, California, between 1991 and 1992.

The court found Oki guilty of premeditated murder under Article 340 of the Criminal Code.

In imposing the death sentence, the district court said that it had reached the decision because of the sadistic nature of the killings.

The court also said that because the crime was committed overseas, it was an embarrassment to the country. (jun)