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Defense claims of old age irrelevant: Prosecutor
State prosecutor Ibnu Suud demanded a panel of judges at the East Jakarta District Court resume the trial of Soetarti Soekarno and Rusmini for occupying state-owned houses in Cipinang Jaya, East Jakarta
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tate prosecutor Ibnu Suud demanded a panel of judges at the East Jakarta District Court resume the trial of Soetarti Soekarno and Rusmini for occupying state-owned houses in Cipinang Jaya, East
Jakarta.
In a hearing on Tuesday, Ibnu asked judges to disregard defense pleas that the women were old and had no other housing, saying the claims were irrelevant to the indictment.
The defendants, both 78 years old, had occupied the houses, which belong to state-owned pawn broker Perum Pegadaian, with their children and grandchildren for more than 20 years.
The women’s late husbands, who were officially recognized as national heroes, were allocated the houses from Perum Pegadaian, where they worked.
Ibnu said the substance of the rebuttal statements should have included formal flaws including inappropriate court proceedings, if any, and incomplete charges.
Ibnu also refuted defense statements that the case was premature as they were still waiting on a Supreme Court decision to grant an official permit to buy the houses.
“These issues are peripheral to the case,” he said.
He said the women could only purchase the houses if Perum Pegadaian granted their request to do so.
“Referring to the 1992 Pegadaian director’s regulation, however, the houses can only be occupied by the defendants’ husbands as they were still active employees,” he said.
Both defendants have been charged with violating the 1992 Housing and Settlement Law.
If found guilty, they face up to two years in prison and Rp 20 million (US$2,193) in fines.
Earlier, defense counsel Kiagus Ahmad Bella Sati said there were irregularities in the charges.
He added the prosecutor was acting hastily by taking the case to trial as the defendants’ civil
case of ownership of the houses was still being heard by the Supreme Court.
“We hope the judges also consider the defendants’ ages,” Kiagus said.
He added that the prosecutor inaccurately formulated the charges.
House troubles: Rusmini, the widow of a national hero, attends another hearing at the East Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. She is being charged with illegally occupying a state-owned residence in Cipinang Jaya, East Jakarta. At the hearing, prosecutors responded to Rusmini’s pleas that were read out last week. JP/Nurhayati
