Zarina's trial postponed

JAKARTA (JP): Judge Sumantri of the West Jakarta District Court yesterday postponed the hearing of Zarina, who is being tried for possession of Ecstasy pills, until Monday due to her illness.

The judge made the announcement in yesterday's session, reading a letter from a Pondok Bambu detention house doctor which informed the court that the defendant had diarrhea and needed to rest for the day.

Two of her defense lawyers also did not turn up at the session of the budding TV actress who stands charged with producing, possessing, and distributing 29,667 Ecstasy pills.

Lawyer O.C. Kaligis, who attended the session with his colleague Nurhasyim Ilyas, told the judge that he had no idea why his other colleagues were absent.

Three officers from Tangerang Police Precinct, where Zarina was first detained, were ready to testify yesterday.

Zarina made newspaper headlines when she escaped from police escort from Tangerang to the Jakarta Police headquarters in August last year.

She was arrested in Houston, USA, on Nov. 4 for immigration violations and sent home on Nov. 17. (13)