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.