Zarina to face charges of drug possession, use
Zarina to face charges of drug possession, use
JAKARTA (JP): Drug suspect Zarina Mirafsur is expected to
appear in the courtroom of the West Jakarta District Court on
Tuesday on double charges, Judge Basoeki of the court said.
The judge, who will preside over the first hearing of the
case, told reporters at his office on Monday that the 27-year-old
woman would be charged with drug possession and consumption for
two separate cases.
According to Basoeki, the prosecutor would therefore request a
stratified jail sentence for the defendant.
"If she is proven guilty, she might face a five-year jail
sentence (for the first case) plus a 20-month prison term (for
the second one)," the judge said.
In the indictment, the prosecutor accused Zarina, widely known
as the queen of ecstasy following her 1996 arrest with 30,000
ecstasy pills, of illegally possessing shabu-shabu (crystal
metamphetamine) which violated Article 62 of the 1997 Law on
Psychotropics.
Zarina, a former television actress, was also charged for
illegally consuming drugs, along with other people, for which she
could face a violation of Article 71 (1) of the same Law.
Article 62 carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail
and a maximum fine of Rp 100 million, while violating Article 71
would allow the prosecutor to ask the judges for another jail
term of one-third of the five-year term, or equal to 20 months.
In the indictment, the prosecutor said that Zarina was firstly
accused of consuming and possessing shabu-shabu on Oct. 1 at two
houses on Jl. Kemanggisan Utama Raya in West Jakarta and in the
Duren Sawit area in East Jakarta respectively.
Zarina and her two friends, Jantje Gustaf Mustamu and Dedy
Mulyadi, took the drugs at the first house before moving to the
second one.
At the second house, the three met two other friends, Nazar
and Ahian Santoso, and together smoked shabu-shabu, allegedly
brought by Zarina, the indictment said.
Police arrived at the scene after a fearful Dedy was scared by
"a pen" (gun) of Ahian's, and reported the case to the nearby
West Jakarta Police precinct, the indictment said.
Nazar and Jantje are still at large.
On Nov. 11, Jakarta Police detectives arrested Zarina and
Ahian in a hotel apartment in West Jakarta during an early
morning raid, seizing 0.3 grams of shabu-shabu, tin foil and
paraphernalia used to smoke the drug, it said.
The indictment said the officers also seized four "Happy Five"
tranquilizers from Ahian's wallet.
Basoeki did not clarify why Zarina was freed following the
October arrest.
When asked to comment separately, Ali Mazi, one of Zarina's
lawyers, said the West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office had violated
court procedure.
"In a case where there are two separate acts the defendant is
charged with, the prosecutor must bring to court the initial case
first," he told The Jakarta Post.
The prosecutor must firstly prove whether the defendant is
guilty or not, then they can proceed with the second charge, he
said.
Judge Baseoki will be accompanied by Hadi Lelana and Mohammad
Ismail at the hearing on Tuesday. Zarinah is currently
incarcerated at Tangerang Women's Penitentiary, west of here.
(asa)