he Medan District Court sentenced three defendants to life in prison for their involvement in drug dealing and bribing a police officer in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday.
The defendants, identified as Togiman aka Toge, 60, was believed to have controlled drug transactions from inside the Lupubuk Pakam prison in Deli Serdang regency, while married couple Hendy and Mirawati were Toge’s subordinates.
Prosecuters had demanded the death penalty for all three defendants.
“We sentence the defendants to life,” presiding judge Erintuah Damanik said.
Erintuah said the death sentence went against human rights and had no deterrent effect on perpetrators.
(Read also:N. Sumatra key area for drug distribution)
Responding to the court’s decision, Toge said he would consider appealing the verdict, while Hendy and Mirawati accepted it. Prosecutor Joice Sinaga said she would appeal the verdict.
Toge was earlier charged on allegations of paying Belawan Police narcotics division head Adj. Comr. Ichwan Lubis Rp 2.55 billion (US$196,153) in bribes, in April this year. A month earlier, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) officers arrested Mirawati and Hendy, in their house in Medan and seized 21.5 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 44,849 ecstasy pills. (jun)
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