Roy Marten, one of the country's most popular movie stars in the early 1980s, was sentenced by a Surabaya court on Friday to three years in jail and a fine of Rp 3 million (about US$325) for using illegal drugs.

Berlin Damanik, the judge who presided over the trial, said the sentence was lighter than the 3.5 years demanded by prosecutors as the defendant was found guilty only of using and not selling the drugs.

Speaking to reporters following the reading of the verdict, Berlin said the court found no evidences that Roy, who was previously jailed for nine months on a similar charge, was involved in the distribution of the drugs.

"The defendant knew nothing about the distribution of the drugs as charged by prosecutors," he said.

Roy, one of many movie stars appointed by the National Narcotics Agency to promote an anti-drug campaign, was apprehended together with four accomplices in a hotel in Surabaya in November while taking crystal methamphetamine, locally known as shabu shabu.

He had reportedly been in Surabaya to witness the signing of an anti-drugs cooperation agreement between the agency and the Surabaya-based newspaper Jawa Post.

"The three-year sentence is too long. I am not a dealer," Roy told The Jakarta Post following the reading of the court's verdict. "Today's court session was only a formality. The verdict had been fixed before."

Four other defendants were earlier sentenced by the same court to between one and five years in jail. Windasari received one year, Fredy Matatullah 3.5 years and Hong Ko Hong aka Hartanto dan Didit Kesit five years.

The above picture shows Roy answering reporters' questions following the issuance of his verdict. (JP/ID Nugroho)

Popular

Furniture exporters decry new quarantine rule

EV industry urges govt to reinstate two-wheeler subsidies as market slows

BRICS shows internal rifts as ministers fall short of joint statement