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Prosecutors seek 15 years for Soeharto kin

State prosecutors on Monday sought a 15-year jail term for former president Soeharto’s great granddaughter, Putri Ariyanti Haryowibowo, for alleged possession of drugs in the first hearing of her trial

Hans David Tampubolon (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, June 21, 2011

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Prosecutors seek 15 years for Soeharto kin

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tate prosecutors on Monday sought a 15-year jail term for former president Soeharto’s great granddaughter, Putri Ariyanti Haryowibowo, for alleged possession of drugs in the first hearing of her trial.

Prosecutors said evidence showed that the defendant was in possession of an illegal substance when arrested, violating Article 112 of the 2009 Narcotics Law, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years.

A South Jakarta prosecutor, Trimo, said that Putri, together with some of her friends including Gaus Notonegoro, also known as Agus, and Edie Setiono, a police officer from the National Police, were caught with drugs at a plush hotel in South Jakarta.

Trimo said police officers who raided the hotel arrested Putri and her friends on March 18.

The police also confiscated two small plastic bags containing crystal methamphetamine weighing 0.88 grams.

“Defendant Putri Ariyanto Haryowibowo along with Agus and witness Eddie Setiono, together with the evidence, were then taken to the Jakarta Police Narcotics Directorate for further examination,” Trimo said in the indictment.

He said Putri had consumed crystal meth at least twice inside the hotel room before she was arrested.

A number of Putri’s family members were seen at the hearing, which was presided over by Judge Maman Abdurahman.

Putri’s father, Ari Sigit said he was devastated to see his daughter standing trial for alleged drug possession.

Ari said the legal process would soon decide the fate of his daughter and he could only hope that Putri could go through it well.

Responding to the charges, Putri’s lawyer Sandi Arifin maintained the innocence of his well-connected client.

“We believe that this legal process is still ongoing and a guilty verdict on her would be too premature. For now, we can only assume that our client is innocent and so far we have learned that Putri was not in possession of the drugs. In fact, we already have someone else who has confessed to possessing the drugs,” Sandi said.

Sandi also said he would focus his defense efforts on admitting Putri into rehabilitation.

He said that according to a 2009 government regulation, it was possible for a defendant in a drug case to be admitted to a rehabilitation center pending a verdict.

Sandi also said that there were at least four key witnesses that could build a case for Putri to stay at a rehab center during the trial.

“First, the doctor will help Putri in rehab, second, a doctor from the National Narcotics Agency who conducted an assessment on Putri’s condition at the National Police hospital and the third and fourth witnesses from Putri’s family,” he said.

Prosecutors in the trial have agreed that the decision to send Putri to rehab would be in the hands of judges. “The prosecutor will follow whatever decision is made by the judges,” Trimo said.

Trimo also said he had prepared eight witnesses for the trial.

Soon after her arrest, Putri did not stay long at the police detention center.

Only three days after Putri was arrested, she was transferred to the National Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta. No doctors have disclosed details on the ailments the drug suspect is suffering from.

Suspects in a drug case are stipulated to be detained at the police detention center for 20 days.

Putri was transferred to the police hospital soon after a visit from her father, Ary Sigit Soeharto.

In the raid, police also arrested a suspect identified as G.N. who was believed to have been a major drug dealer and the alleged supplier of the illegal drugs to the other suspects.

The police estimate that G.N.’s drug network could distribute at least Rp 2 billion (US$234,000) of drugs in one month.

As for Edie Setiono, the National Police said he might have been a member of a larger syndicate.

The trial for Putri has been adjourned until Monday next week.

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