Bali bombers a step closer to execution, says prosecutor

Dicky Christanto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Wed, 04/16/2008 12:31 PM  |  Bali

Head of Bali's prosecutor's office I Dewa Putu Alit Adyana said he received an official letter from three death row convicts, Amrozi, Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra, confirming they would not ask for a presidential pardon after their lawyer, Fachmi Bachmid of the Muslim Lawyer Team (TPM), decided not to continue the case review sessions at Denpasar District Court several weeks ago. Adyana said the letter implied they were ready for their death sentences.

Bachmid has refused to continue the case review sessions after judges continuously rejected his requests to present the convicts in the review sessions.

"It is confirmed Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron have told us they were not going to ask for a presidential pardon. I have reported the letter to the Attorney-General's Office. In the meantime, we will wait for further instruction. I hope the instruction will be given soon," Adyana told reporters Tuesday.

However, he refused to show the letter to journalists, saying reporters should trust him on the issue.

"It is important for you to believe us on this one," he said.

He said he had ordered a team of prosecutors to work with other institutions, such as the Central Java Police, in relation to the execution. He refused to mention the location of the execution.

A judicial panel at Denpasar District Court had sentenced Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron to death in Aug.8 2003 after they found the three men had orchestrated the 2002 Bali Bombing, killing 202 people, mostly foreigners. The ruling was then reinforced by the Supreme Court's rejection of their appeal in 2004.

Currently, the three are being detained at the Batu Super Maximum Security Prison on Nusa Kambangan island, an hour south of Cilacap, Central Java.

Coordinator of TPM Mahendradatta said neither the TPM nor the convicts had ever sent a letter to the Bali prosecutor's office. He said the prosecutor's claim should raise great doubt on the authenticity of the letter.

"It is obvious the prosecutors are trying to launch a hidden strategy to attract public attention. We have never sent them any letters. If he dares, Adyana should show the letter to journalists. I bet he won't do it," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said the TPM was still in the process of filing a motion to request another case review after the last one was dropped by the Denpasar judicial panel.

"We are not requesting a presidential pardon this time. It is still about the case review," he said.

The Supreme Court refused two earlier requests for case reviews. The first refusal was made last year while the other was made last month.

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