Zarina trial set to go ahead

Zarina trial set to go ahead

JAKARTA (JP): The West Jakarta District Court ruled on Tuesday
it would continue hearing the drug case against Zarina Mirafsur.

"The indictment prepared by the prosecutor meets all the
requirements as stipulated in Paragraph 2, Article 143 of the
Criminal Code Procedures, which state that such indictments must
be complete and clear," presiding judge Sri Handojo said in a
pretrial hearing at the district court.

Handojo said the prosecutor had completed the indictment by
citing the identity of the defendant, including her age, job and
place of residence.

"The prosecutor also has clearly and completely described the
alleged wrongdoing (of the defendant), by citing the time and
place where the alleged wrongdoing was committed," the judge
said.

The ruling was read by the panel of three judges, including
Handojo.

Present at Tuesday's hearing were prosecutor Hasan Madani and
two lawyers representing the former actress, Ali Mazi and Petrus
Bala Patyona.

Also present were dozens of spectators, including scores of
members of the antidrug group Geram.

Five members of Geram, wearing black shirts, sat in the front
row of the courtroom, apparently hoping to influence the judges'
ruling.

The pretrial hearing follows an earlier hearing in which the
original indictment against Zarina was thrown out. A panel of
judges at the same district court, presided over by judge
Basoeki, dropped the indictment on Feb. 7, ruling that prosecutor
Madani had failed to submit a clear and complete document.

The prosecutor refiled the indictment with the district court
after making the necessary revisions.

In the new indictment, the prosecutor says Zarina was in
possession of and took shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) on
Oct. 1 last year at two houses -- one on Jl. Kemanggisan Utama
Raya in West Jakarta and one in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta.

According to the indictment, Zarina and two other people,
Jantje Gustaf Mustamu and Dedy Mulyadi, took the drugs at the
house in West Jakarta before traveling to the second house. There
at the house in East Jakarta, the three met Nazar Aliando and
Ahian Santoso, and all five of them used shabu-shabu, which
allegedly was brought by Zarina.

Jakarta Police detectives arrested Zarina and Ahian in a hotel
apartment in West Jakarta on Nov. 11 during an early morning
raid, seizing 0.3 grams of shabu-shabu, tin foil and
paraphernalia used to smoke the drug.

Handojo adjourned the hearing until April 11, at which time
the court will hear testimony from witnesses.

Upon hearing the ruling, Paskalis Pieter, one of Zarina's
lawyers, said they would file an appeal.

Handojo said the court would continue hearing the case while
the Jakarta High Court ruled on the appeal. (09/asa)