Waste businessman gets six years for murder

Waste businessman gets six years for murder

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The Tangerang District court sentenced on Friday a businessman
to six years imprisonment for killing another businessman who he
suspected was having an adulterous love affair with his wife, in
addition to trying to extort money from the woman.

Presiding judge Sitinjak told the hearing that the defendant
Tang Tion Keng, popularly known as Eeng, 41, a resident of the
Modern Land housing complex in Tangerang, was only proven guilty
of "assault that resulted in the death" of Rudiyanto, 37, a
resident in the same complex, on Sept. 15 this year.

"The six-year prison term was the maximum punishment for the
charge of assault because his actions resulted in death and
created suffering for the victim's family," he said.

Sitinjak also cited several mitigating factors which kept the
court from trying him for murder; that the defendant was still
young and could still be a productive member of society, that he
had given honest testimony, that he was polite during the trial,
that he had apologized to the victim's family and that the
defendant regretted his actions.

The case drew quite a bit of speculation that the prosecutors,
who had often met with the defendant prior to each trial session,
had been influenced by bribes to file the lesser charge of
assault.

Earlier, prosecutors M. Adam and Victor Silitonga charged the
defendant with second-degree murder, assault and illegal
possession of a firearm.

The charges, combined, would have meant a maximum punishment
of 41 years in jail, effectively a life sentence. But, on
Wednesday, prosecutors sought only the 6-year term for the
assault charge.

Rudiyanto's widow, Veronica Megarana told The Jakarta Post
that the defendant was driven to kill by his blind rage resulting
from jealousy, but that he had killed the wrong man, and then got
off with a very light sentence.

"Of course, such punishment is unjust and the defendant will
never be reluctant to kill others in the future. My husband was
an honest man who had never betrayed me. Moreover, the
defendant's wife had testified before the court that she did not
know my husband," she told the Post, adding that the murder of
her husband had been premeditated and therefore the defendant
should be charged with Article 340 of the Criminal Code on
premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence.